Dreams of Dawn

by Twilight Incubus

What if Malekith's journey to the realms of chaos went a bit differently after Finuval Plain? Before dying to the flames of Asuryan, he is granted a vision and an ultimatum by Asuryan himself. The god tells him that if he can pass through the six circles of seduction in Slaanesh's realm, then Malekith will be his champion. AU end times fic, Anti-hero Malekith. Full summary inside.

6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Warrior's Resolve

After leaving the inn and walking outside, Malekith patiently waited for Shen Zoo to exit behind him. About a minute later she did, and she had a serious look in her eyes that spelled trouble. The elf stood with a blank expression as he remained poised and unfazed by her mood.

"I never thought I'd see you drink alcohol," Shen Zoo broke the unusual tension in the air as she approached slowly.

The dark-haired elf looked away as a very subtle frown crossed his face, "It's never been much of an interest to me. My mother and followers always indulged in wine and the like. Having seen what overindulgence truly is in Slaanesh's realm, I'm even more hesitant to partake in such things. It put them at ease, and it wasn't nearly enough to affect me."

"I don't object, but you sure seemed to have a lot in there. Is something bothering you?" the dragon noted factually as she stopped in front of him and gave him a quizzical look.

Malekith turned his callous gaze towards her as he spoke emotionlessly, "No, I'm fine."

Shen Zoo let out an exaggerated sigh, "Clearly something's going through your head right now. I won't press you though. It's probably none of my business anyways. Sorry to disturb you this late at night, but I just wanted to have a chat with you. We haven't really been alone since…well since we got here."

Malekith shrugged carelessly at her observation as he began to start walking away. He could see various people trying to eavesdrop on them and wanted some more privacy. Shen Zoo seemed to quickly pick up on his intentions as she followed him in silence for a bit.

After a brief walk, they climbed the gatehouse stairs to get to the top of the outer wall. Upon arriving, Malekith simply just stared out into the horizon without even looking at her. He finally spoke after a long silence, "What did you want to talk to me about, princess?"

"Well…I just wanted to thank you again for everything you've done to help me. I mean…you actually carried me across the Great Eastern Steppes all the way to the Bastion. That journey couldn't have been easy or short. Then you endured humiliation here from my own people and thought only of their safety by trying to warn them about a chaos army coming. I just find it so noble that you would do all of this for no personal gain. It's clear that you don't want to be here, but you're fighting to defend the bastion. I even saw you training peasants. It might not mean much to you, but the peasants talk a lot, and they feel confident because you're leading them. I think I was right about you after all…you really are a good person deep down, aren't you?" Shen Zoo spoke graciously.

Malekith looked at her and frowned, "Your sympathy and gratitude are wasted on me. I'm not here for any selfless reasons. It's repayment for your help in getting me out of the Realms of Chaos and so that this army doesn't attack Naggaroth after Cathay. We'll see how you feel after I make sacrifices to win this battle. A lot of these people are going to die and there's nothing you or I can do to save them. Don't lie to them and try to make me out to be something I'm not. Don't indulge in this delusion that I'm some kind of hero either. I'm not…and I feel free after finally giving up on chasing my father's shadow. The truth of the matter is I'm really good at killing and my purpose is to kill chaos worshippers so that my father's sacrifice won't be invalidated by this undeserving world of self-righteous fools. These people mean nothing to me. I'm every bit as cruel and angry as I've always been…only now I am not shackled by delusions of grandeur or boundless pride. I'm not obsessing over things that don't matter anymore. This is my purpose, and I am doing this because someone has to fight the champions of chaos. If you place your naïve hopes in me, you'll only be disappointed. Everyone else who ever did can vouch for that. I appreciate your gratitude princess, but no amount of 'good deeds' will ever erase who I was and who I am. I've made peace with that and I don't need sympathy from anyone."

"You're killing me with this tortured self-pity and nonsensical stubbornness. Whatever you used to be doesn't matter to me. All that matters is who you choose to be now. You don't have to be that person anymore. I don't think you ever really wanted to be. Wearing your guilt and shackling your feelings with this self-loathing doom and gloom is not doing anyone any favors. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. Focus on what you can do now and stop living in the past. Sure, you did a lot of bad things, but that doesn't mean you can't change or find some kind of redemption." Shen Zoo sighed.

"It's not a matter of guilt, it's a matter of reality. There is no future where I can earn redemption from the elves and dwarves. They hate me…and they blame me for the collapse of their empires. Dwarves never forgive grudges and the Asur literally see me as the greatest evil to ever blight this world. If you gave them the choice between ending the chaos threat forever or killing me and the druchii, most would probably choose the latter. Even if I could kill the chaos gods themselves, the Asur would still demand my death to satiate their own vengeance. The satisfaction they would revel in would put daemonettes to shame. I don't want redemption from them, because I still hate their hypocritical self-righteousness. I will earn my penance from the gods, and I will do whatever I have to do to ensure my father didn't die pointlessly for people who didn't deserve it." Malekith countered defensively.

"You're missing my point, Malekith. What they think doesn't matter when it comes to redemption. It's so easy for people to bask in the light of moral vindication and declare themselves righteous and good, but they don't know darkness and evil for what it truly is. How can they dictate the moral precedent when they don't understand what it means to walk through the darkness…to have their faith and morality truly tested? To them I would ask: Is it better to be born good and celebrated as a paragon of virtue…or is it better to overcome your dark nature and do what's right for the sake of others? What is your answer to that question? I imagine it's the same as your father's right?" Shen Zoo asked.

The elf looked out into the horizon again, "One cannot truly understand light without understanding darkness? One cannot know what good is without knowing evil? Is that what you're implying? I suppose I can agree with that. My father was that way…"

"The answer is quite simple…those who seek the light within the darkness are the truly good people. Those born in the light live in an echo chamber and they don't really understand darkness or evil. It's the same thing as someone being born rich trying to understand the value of currency compared to someone who became rich after being poor. It means a lot more if a person earned it then if they were just born with it. In your case, it means a lot more because you're choosing to do the right thing even though you don't have to…and it goes against who you used to be. It's a hard and thankless path, but doing the right thing for no personal gain or validation is far more noble than someone reveling in their own moral righteousness and glory. You can't appreciate a new dawn without enduring a long night. As you've said several times, most elves are untested and that's why these righteous individuals are so fallible to corruption and hateful hypocrisy. You overcame corruption and that is far more telling of your true nature than the opinions of some arrogant high elf prince who wants to condemn you for eternity because you killed his ancestors. When people put in the time to change after committing wrongdoings…when they dedicate themselves to mitigating and even overturning the damage they've done, the concept of punishment and retribution is redundant and wastefully hedonistic. No one owes anyone forgiveness, but vengeance and condemnation for its own sake is not justice; it's spiteful pride. Don't wallow in the spite and pride of others…and don't let their feelings dictate your own. Be who you want to be…and find it in your own heart to forgive yourself. That's where you'll find true redemption and inner peace. Even if the rest of the world hates you…you'll always be a hero to me for saving my life and I will always consider you a friend. I mean we escaped the Realms of Chaos together. I could care less what some dwarf or high elf thinks because they didn't save me…you did. You also carried me home across the Eastern Steppes by yourself while I was unconscious. If that's not heroic, then I don't know what is. How do you think my people here will feel after seeing you lead our defense against a chaos army? How do you think my family will feel about you saving me? That will resonate far more with them than what elves and dwarves think of you. I know you don't think much of humans, but you have a real opportunity to win them over with your actions to come. It's never too late to be the person you want to be. If not for them, then do it for yourself if nothing else," Shen Zoo replied with stern emotional wisdom.

Malekith had no idea what to say in response. He was completely stunned by Shen Zoo's words and processed them in his mind in the following silence. They struck a deep chord within him, and he actually felt an uncomfortable knot welling up in his chest. He did not like these feelings and they made him angry.

"Was that all you wanted to talk about, princess?" Malekith finally asked without acknowledging her words.

Shen Zoo frowned at his lack of reciprocation, "That's all…I also wanted to let you know that I had quarters prepared for you in the barracks in the room next to mine. It's near the war room down the hall. Your door is marked with the jade turtle. Get some rest, Malekith…tomorrow is going to be a long day and even longer night. I know this is difficult for you, but you're not alone anymore. I'm here for you, and I plan on supporting you indefinitely no matter what comes. I don't plan on abandoning you like your wife did. You've more than proved that I can trust you no matter what. Even now, you're trying to push me away for my own benefit and safety. I'm not blind to that…I think you actually like me. I certainly like you."

Hearing her say that caused Malekith to snarl at her angrily. He wanted to say something cruel to denounce her claim, but he couldn't. As much as he disliked the vulnerability of trusting someone like this, he genuinely believed that Shen Zoo was serious about supporting him. Something about the dragon was authentic to him, and she hadn't once wavered in her support thus far even despite his horrid reputation. She had even gone out of her way to make him look good in front of her own people. He didn't know what to think or how to feel about her determination to being his ally, but one thing was certainly clear…Shen Zoo would not betray him. He just hated the idea of letting her down or showing weakness. Plus, everyone he ever trusted ended up dead or betraying him in some way.

"Why does this matter so much to you? I'm already damned, and I don't want you going down with me. You have something worth living for…and I'm doomed to die sooner or later like my father was. You'll only end up regretting this," Malekith sighed.

"I don't regret trusting or helping you. You know what I keep thinking about, Malekith? When I came into the throne room and told you to run…you didn't. You stayed to help me. You didn't abandon me at the north pole either even despite me no longer being useful to you. So far, you've only proven to me that my life is in far better hands with you around. I can't promise you Cathay's full support, but you have mine no matter what. We're in this together now whether you like it or not," she countered blankly.

"Thank you, princess." The elf said half-heartedly as he stared out into the skies.

"Goodnight, my friend. I always enjoy chatting with you. Get some sleep," Shen Zoo replied before leaving him alone to his thoughts.

He didn't like the feelings her words invoked within him, but he honestly did believe them. It didn't matter what others thought of him. He had to be the person he was meant to be…the person Asuryan wanted him to be. The person his father would have wanted him to be. Even now, he wished to live up to Shen Zoo's hopes. Her brazen trust in him evoked a certain accountability that he felt obligated to follow.

'Who do I want to be now?' Malekith thought to himself as he wondered about the future. In the past he wished for nothing more than to be exactly like his father and to be phoenix king, but he didn't really want that anymore. He just wanted to save his people and he wanted his life to have meaning. He no longer craved validation from the elves, but he still wished to honor Aenarion and to make his father proud.

'What I wouldn't give to speak to you one last time, father. I never truly understood you, but I think I'm starting to now after all these years. You did everything for others…and what you wanted never really mattered. Maybe that's who I have to be to truly be worthy of Asuryan's champion. So that others may live...I suppose that's worth dying for. Even if nobody cares...it's what you would do. It's what I should have done instead of being selfish all these years. My life doesn't matter anymore...if it ever really did to begin with.' Malekith brooded as he thought about feelings he had been repressing since the circle of vainglory.

It was something deeply buried in his black heart that had always bothered him. It was why he was so obsessed with living up to his father's name. It was his justification for all the evil he had committed in the vain hopes that he could one day truly be his father's son. That one day Aenarion himself would look upon him with pride and love from the afterlife. That he would no longer be seen as a mistake his father made in his maddened grief.

'I should probably get some sleep…' Malekith sighed mentally as he turned to leave. Not even a moment later, he heard a gong ring followed by some shouting. Several spotters and guards from atop the wall called out in fearful concern as they saw a manticore flying towards the bastion.

Malekith immediately recognized it as the one he stole and was actually somewhat surprised to see that the beast had returned. It landed outside of the wall in the exact location it flew away from the other day and let out a roar as if to catch attention.

Several patrols of crossbowmen on the wall and a few longma riders were quick to point weapons at the creature, but Malekith called out to the beast in black speech, "Up here!"

The longma riders followed the manticore as it flew into the air and crossbowmen kept their weapons focused on the beast as it landed on the wall near Malekith who many now realized was up there. The pursuing longma riders landed nearby but kept a safe distance as they watched the manticore land in front of the elf on top of the wall.

The winged monster walked up to him slowly and let out a low growl as it lowered its head slightly.

"I'm glad you came back. I'll be staying here for the upcoming battle," the elf spoke to the creature.

One of the longma riders moved in a bit closer as he spoke to Malekith, "Sir…is this the same manticore you showed up on the other day?"

Malekith looked at the man and nodded, "Yes, it is. I recognize the black and white fur on it."

The beast looked over at the man approaching Malekith on his longma and let out a mixture of snake hiss and a lion roar. It quickly lowered its body defensively and stood between the elf and the human as if it were defending him.

The man's longma neighed anxiously as it bucked back and refused to get closer. Malekith walked next to the manticore and placed a gauntleted hand on the beast as he calmed it down, "Don't attack them. They are allies. I won't let them kill you."

The manticore quickly calmed down as it left its defensive posture and sat down on its hind legs. Its head turned and followed Malekith as he walked up to the longma rider and his flanking men landing next to him.

"Why did it come back?" the man asked confused.

"Because I told him to in case this situation with your people didn't work out. Manticores are very intelligent and if trained properly are very loyal. This one obviously didn't like its previous rider because it seems to prefer me as its master now. It considers me more powerful than its previous rider and can sense the curse of my blood I'd wager," Malekith informed the man.

The man nodded his head but looked noticeably concerned, "I see…well what do we do with it? Do you plan on keeping this creature here? Manticores are extremely dangerous. It would be unsafe for this monster to walk freely within the garrison."

"Druchii believe that Manticores are one of the many incarnations of our god Khaine. I never knew if that was true, but Manticores always seem to gravitate towards those touched by Khaine. My entire bloodline is cursed by the madness of Khaine and I've never had any issue controlling one. Compared to dragons or hydras, Manticores are no different to us than your longmas and oxen are to you. We tame these creatures all the time. They're violent and unpredictable, but they will obey someone they respect. They are monstrous beasts, but they are more intelligent than most animals. The Cult of Khaine regularly trains them as mounts and even beastmasters keep them as pets and guardians," Malekith educated the man.

"I understand that it will be fine around you, but it will make the garrison very nervous to keep this monster around. Not to mention, it might get shot during the battle if the enemy is utilizing these beasts in mass to attack us," the longma rider pointed out.

Malekith then looked at the manticore, "Come back tomorrow at midday. I'll have accommodations made for you by then. I'll need to mark you as well, so they don't mistake you for an enemy."

The beast let out a hissing growl and nodded its head at Malekith before flying off again. After it left, the longma rider glanced at Malekith curiously, "What did you say to it?"

"I told him to come back tomorrow afternoon and that I will mark him so he won't be mistaken for an enemy manticore. Can you do me a favor? Find me an empty stable or some area where I can house the creature. I'll make sure it doesn't attack anyone." Malekith replied.

The longma rider looked noticeably wary about the idea but nodded his head, "Yes sir…we'll make arrangements at once. How do you plan on marking it though?"

"I'll paint his armour I suppose," Malekith shrugged as he took his leave. He then descended from the wall and made his way back towards the barracks.

Along the way he thought about how to utilize the manticore, 'I'm glad it came back…now I can fly home when this nonsense is over.'

It didn't take him long to get to his destination, but as he entered the barracks to go find his quarters, he passed the celestial dragon guard captain along the way. The man looked tired and stressed, but was quick to acknowledge him, "King Malekith, may we speak for a moment?"

"What is it, Captain Zhu?" Malekith asked as he stopped to look down at the man and his flanking lieutenants.

"Lieutenant Kongyu, the longma rider scout commander that returned, has been…erratic and nothing we do seems to calm him down. I believe he might calm down if you speak to him. He keeps asking to speak with you. Would you mind at least seeing him?" the man announced.

Malekith nodded, "Very well, captain, take me to him."

Captain Zhu seemed surprised by Malekith agreeing, but quickly turned and led the elf through the barracks to a room for the wounded. The longma rider was lying in a bed and staring out the window with despairing eyes.

Upon hearing the arriving visitors, the man turned and stared at Malekith. The celestial dragon guards stood a respectable distance back, but stayed within hearing range as Malekith approached the man's bed.

Lieutenant Kongyu looked up at the dark elf king anxiously before speaking, "You…you're actually here?"

"Your captain said you wished to speak with me. What is it?" Malekith asked calmly.

"Thank you for coming sir. I'm sorry we doubted you. I can't believe how monstrous that army was. If only we had listened…the others wouldn't have died needlessly," Kongyu looked down with crestfallen despair.

"You had every right to doubt me…I am a druchii after all. Still, I'm glad you were able to confirm it for the rest of your people here," Malekith replied.

"That daemon of Chi'an Chi…every time I close my eyes, I see him. I hear his laughter in my head. I hear the dying screams of my men! How can mere men fight such terrible monsters? We couldn't do anything against him or his chaos knights. I have a confession to make…I flew away as the others were dying. I sacrificed them to escape, and I ran without even fighting! I'm a coward…I should have died with them. Some of them called out to me for help…I didn't even look back. I don't deserve to be alive," the man said with heavy guilt as his hands began to shake.

"You did what you had to do. Your men were not equipped to fighting what you saw out there. I also ran away from that army and I'm far more powerful than you are. Do not feel guilt over their deaths. Your survival and return here will ensure the survival of many others at this garrison and Cathay beyond it. War is about sacrifice and duty…and they didn't die pointlessly. There was nothing you could have done. Dying with them wouldn't have made any difference," Malekith tried his best to soothe the man's guilt.

It was odd for him to do this and slightly ironic since Shen Zoo had attempted to console him earlier and he didn't want to listen to her.

"That's easy for you to say…how can I ever look their families in the eyes and call myself a longma rider after leaving them to die? I deserve their hate…for being an incompetent leader. The only honorable thing left I can even do is kill myself for this shame," Kongyu said with a pained expression.

For whatever reason, Malekith had finally accepted Shen Zoo's words from their earlier conversation at this very moment. Seeing another person go through the feelings of guilt gave him a strange empathy for this man and a revelation about how to deal with guilt and shame.

"You can't change what happened…but you can make a difference in what will happen. Killing yourself would be a waste of a trained longma rider. If you really want to regain your honor, then do so in the battle tomorrow night. Make a difference and make your life mean something to the people still alive here. That's why I'm here fighting for your people and for Shen Zoo. This isn't about how we feel or what we want…it's about making a thankless sacrifice for the sake of the world. Pride and validation mean nothing in the face of doing what's right. I'm the greatest villain in elven history, but that doesn't mean I can't do the right thing either. It doesn't mean I'm incapable of serving the greater good for the sake of civilization. Do you know how many innocent people I've killed or how many of my soldiers I sacrificed in war? I think about it a lot. My greatest underling Alandrian was crucified for my ambitions. My own father sacrificed his life for others despite being a cruel tyrant. He is now considered the greatest hero in elven history. Kill yourself if you wish, but I think you're far more likely to find the redemption you seek by making their sacrifice worth your life. My underling Alandrian said something similar to me once…'We sacrifice so that others may live.' Ultimately, people like us are already dead. We're warriors. The only thing we have any power over is how we meet our end and what we make our lives worth to those we fight alongside or for. If you're already going to die, then why not die for something that matters? I'm not familiar with human ideas of honor, but that's what I consider honorable. Honor isn't validation...it's duty." Malekith stated calmly.

"So that others may live? I understand what you mean, sir. I'll do that, your highness…I won't let their sacrifice be in vain. I'll repay my life when my time comes. Any real warrior would. Thank you," the man said with resolve as Malekith's words seemed to resonate with him.

"Why did you ask to see me specifically, Lieutenant Kongyu? You haven't really explained that yet." Malekith wondered.

"I didn't know who else to talk to about this…about those daemons. I've heard all the rumors about you…that you saved the princess from an army of them in the chaos realm. Is that really true?" the man asked desperately.

"Four lords of change intercepted Princess Shen Zoo and myself when we were heading for the gate to escape the Realms of Chaos. They were led by Kairos Fateweaver, the two-headed oracle of Tzeentch. Shen Zoo and I battled them, but we had to flee. It's hardly as impressive as people make it sound. We ran away from them," Malekith told half the truth.

The man shook his head, "You saw…the two-headed one?! I've heard horrible stories about that monster. It took the storm dragon herself to repel it at Snake Gate centuries ago. We know him as the prophet of Chi'an Chi. Northmen call him the Oracle of Fate. That creature is pure evil."

"My father fought that daemon thousands of years ago. He and his dragon Indraugnir fought it along with many other greater daemons before they died in sacrifice for the elves to create the vortex. That daemon is just as much an enemy to me as it is to your people. The one that attacked you called itself Ashenwing…I encountered it in the Realms of Chaos not long after meeting Shen Zoo. It wants me dead more than anyone else here…and I will most likely be the one to fight it in this battle. Don't concern yourself with trying to fight that monster. You only need to do your job. The only reason any of you should panic is if Shen Zoo and I are both dead," the elf explained.

"I have already informed him of what the longma riders will be doing in the battle. I also consulted the lieutenant about whether or not he believes the enemy army can actually breach the outer wall. Lieutenant Kongyu told me that they can breach the high wall and the greater gate itself if their warmachines aren't stopped. I believe your wild tactical decisions might actually have some credence after all, King Malekith. Forgive my previous doubts and any disrespect I have shown. It seems quite clear to me now that you have good intentions here," Captain Zhu cut into the conversation as he walked up to the man's bed.

"Captain Zhu…there's also these monsters made of metal and fire. They looked like daemons but were machines. I can't quite describe them. One was even the size of a terracotta sentinel, and it walked on four legs!" Kongyu stated grimly.

The captain sighed, "Do you know what he's talking about, sir?"

Malekith thought for a moment, "It sounds like a daemon engine from the chaos dwarves. They can trap fire spirits and daemons into machines. I've heard tales about some of these abominable creations. It might be a K'daii Destroyer…the ultimate killing machine. I've never seen one before, so I can only speculate. Did it look like a bull?"

"Yes, your highness...it looked like a gorilla or bull made of metal with fire holding it together," Kongyu nodded.

Malekith sighed, "From what I understand, those things are practically indestructible."

"Our terracotta sentinels will have to deal with those larger monsters. If you don't object, I think it would be best to put most of them on the front and leave a few to guard key chokepoints within the city," Captain Zhu suggested.

Malekith nodded, "That's fine, but do these terracotta sentinels have any weaknesses I should be aware of?"

"They're slow golems and can become unresponsive if overwhelmed by magic attacks. Most are automated and enchanted to protect Cathayans. They will also attack outsiders. Shugengan Sung Lian has spent most of the day reenchanting them so that they won't attack you. She has been working hard to fulfill the Light Dragon's orders and to regain her dignity," the captain explained.

"Tell her I appreciate that," Malekith nodded.

"You're welcome, King Malekith," Sung Lian's voice sounded as she walked around the corner.

The elf looked at her surprised since he didn't notice that she had been eavesdropping, "Have you been listening in this entire time?"

"Yes…" she answered without any follow-up explanation. Captain Zhu also seemed surprised by her unexpected arrival as he and his dragon guards went to attention.

Malekith didn't react and stared at her silently. He was actually impressed that she was able to sneak up on them.

"Come to the war room. I want your opinion on our placement of the sentinels, and I want you to explain some of these chaos dwarf warmachines to us," Sung Lian broke the silence as she left the room. Captain Zhu and the dragon guards quickly followed.

Malekith nodded, "Very well."

"Farewell, King Malekith…thank you. I won't let you down in the battle, sir. I swear it," Lieutenant Kongyu announced as his visitors left the room.

'Let me down? Why does he care what I think?' Malekith wondered briefly as he followed Captain Zhu.

After a short walk to the war room, Malekith watched as Sung Lian paused and looked at him, "Thank you for speaking with Lieutenant Kongyu. I'm amazed your words seemed to inspire him more than anyone else's."

Malekith looked between her and Captain Zhu curiously, "So all of you tried talking to him then?"

Sung Lian begrudgingly nodded, "Yes…even the light dragon too. We told him many of the same things you did, but I guess it meant more to him coming from someone like you. The lieutenant is truly mesmerized by the tale of you rescuing the princess. You were also able to heal him better than I could, and you have the full respect of a dragon of Cathay. If I'm being honest, I find it rather frustrating that you've been indirectly usurping the loyalty of my garrison from me. My men revere me…and yet they seem to revere you more despite the fact that you're a foreigner and a dark elf."

"They're just wary now that they actually have confirmation that I am the Witch King. It's not reverence...it's fear of me and of Shen Zoo. I'm not here to win you people over and it isn't my intention to make you look bad. If that were my intention, I'd have let Shen Zoo strip your position from you," Malekith replied with grim apathy.

"Why…why did you defend me after the reception I gave you? You don't really need me to lead this garrison since you've practically usurped it already. The princess thinks the world of you and I'm nothing to her," Sung Lian shook her head.

"Elves are notorious for having insufferable pride. Most are extremely petty and vindictive…even the asur and especially the druchii. I was like that too, but things are different now. My time in the Realms of Chaos changed me I suppose. It's not something you would understand or something worth explaining. Just be grateful I'm not that petty anymore. You were well within your rights to doubt me, and Princess Shen Zoo overreacted by trying to champion me as her savior. By all human standards of morality, I am an evil tyrant. I was expecting your reception when I came to Cathay. I did it anyways for Shen Zoo's sake. It's rare that I encounter someone who I genuinely like, and I didn't haul her all the way here just for her to die fighting a chaos army. I want her to live, and I know she's the kind of person who would sacrifice herself for people like you," Malekith replied.

"The princess truly is amazing if she was able to win over the Witch King himself. I've read tales about the Light Dragon. I even heard the Storm Dragon speak of her once. Princess Miao Ying said that her youngest sister was the light of Cathay…and that she was beloved by all the dragons. She said that Princess Shen Zoo was able to bring out the light in others and was a wholly benevolent being. She trusts you…and so do I now. Since you've been so humble about this entire ordeal, I will be humble as well. It's what the princess would want and it's the least I can do to show my sincerity. I'm placing you in command for the battle and I will ensure everyone obeys you. It's clear you know what you're doing, and I'm not so vain as to pretend I have equal military experience to a seven-thousand-year-old elf king," Sung Lian sighed.

Captain Zhu seemed a bit surprised by this but remained silent. Malekith looked down at the table and stayed quiet as well.

"With that settled, let's go over the logistics, your highness…" Sung Lian broke the awkward silence as she walked over to the war room table.

She placed figurines over the table map of Turtle Gate, "We have eight terracotta sentinels present at Turtle Gate. I want one on each of these two roads that lead up to the second level of the city. The other six would be useful on the front unless you want them in reserve…"

"No, they'll be useful on the front. They're enchanted golems, so they'll be unkillable to marauders. I'll instruct the mages to keep spellcasters away from them. These flanking entrances to the outer gate are where I'd put them. The central one where I'll be doesn't need any. Put three on each side to help out the astromancer and the alchemist's groups. Your people will have a better time holding those chokepoints with them there," Malekith moved the terracotta figurines to where he wanted them at.

Captain Zhu frowned, "Do you have a death wish? There aren't nearly enough forces to hold the middle. They'll focus their efforts there when they see the lack of manpower."

"That's why I'm there. Their leaders want me dead, and they will focus on the middle leaving the other entrances some breathing room to kill the enemy in waves. Once they breach the outer wall, I want the peasants to fall back and cover the back roads here and here. If you can, it would be good to focus your artillery on that entrance where I'll be at. Spread them out. Put two cannons up here, a rocket battery behind it, and one of each on either side near these two towers," Malekith pointed as he started rearranging figurines.

"You really are crazy…you're going to fight them alone up there while rockets and shrapnel rain around you?" the captain asked disbelievingly.

Malekith nodded, "It's the only way to control their entry. The enemy leaders won't be able to resist targeting me and that chokepoint will be clustered enough for your artillery to deliver their value by clearing out the marauders. I will also have my magic to use on them. Your people should move in once the chaos warriors and dwarves breach the city. Against guns and magical weapons, I will be far more susceptible to getting killed."

"My group is targeting the artillery once they commit to the breach. We'll cover the skies above you until the city is breached. Assuming we succeed, what would you like us to do afterwards?" Sung Lian asked.

"Reinforce the other breaches and cover the skyfleet once you've dealt with the artillery," Malekith instructed.

"When should my men move in?" Captain Zhu interjected.

"After the real army shows up. Your higher tier troops will be essential in combatting chaos warriors and dwarves. They're too heavily armoured for the militia to deal with and I can't be everywhere at once," Malekith answered.

"So, you want us to reinforce you once the chaos warriors and dwarves breach the city? I find it rather odd that would place that level of trust in us. We might not be able to get there before you're overwhelmed. This tactic won't be that effective if I have to sacrifice half of them to save you," the captain shook his head.

"I don't expect you to reinforce me…I want you to cover the other sides. Unless I die, you should focus on keeping the other breaches covered," Malekith said calmly.

Captain Zhu seemed completely baffled by his suicidal logic, "You're willing to die…for the bastion? For Cathay?"

"I'm willing to die fighting chaos warriors and daemons. It doesn't matter where," the elf said calmly.

"Why though?" Sung Lian spoke up disbelievingly.

"Because it's what my father did…and what he'd want me to do. You people revere your ancestors...so do elves." was all Malekith said in response.

"You're quite bold, but this is dangerous to leave that area so open. We should at least have two regiments of dragon crossbows on either side here and here…if the enemy has doom knights on their flying discs, someone will need to be able to shoot them out of the sky and keep them off the skyfleet and the artillery," Zhu stated.

"Do what you think is best…" the elf nodded in agreement.

"Also…I had crane gunners volunteer to cover that plaza above you. They don't feel confident in the frontline having no direct support. The way of Feng Shui…of yin and yang requires harmony in battle. Our melee troops should always be supported by our ranged ones. They can also watch those cannons from flying targets and focus down manticores if they go after the towers. It will also raise morale among the peasants if they have firing support. They'll be less likely to run away with a firing squad above them," the captain added.

"I agree with Captain Zhu. We're not going to leave you alone up there. You should have some support at least," Sung Lian added.

Malekith sighed, "I suppose they'll be good for covering the peasants' retreat. Don't keep too many of them near me though. They're better off covering the other sides. I'll be fine until the real army shows up."

"At least take one company of Iron Hail gunners. Many have expressed interest in fighting with you at the front," Captain Zhu sighed.

"Why would they want that? My area is going to have the most casualties." Malekith asked bewildered.

The captain sighed, "I haven't the slightest clue…though you can certainly ask Lieutenant Yeung Lan about it tomorrow. She is a bit eccentric and wants to be at the front. She demanded an audience with you. I'll leave that up to you sir…but I'd take her offer. You're going to die out there with no support and the peasants are less likely to run away if she's nearby."

"Why do you care if I die?" Malekith asked.

"If you really are going to end the dark elf raids of Cathay, we would prefer that you live," the captain answered.

"I also owe you an audience with the storm dragon. After speaking with Princess Shen Zoo, it seems quite clear that the Storm Dragon will want to meet you," Sung Lian added.

"Fine, I will speak to this gunner lieutenant later then…where can I find her?" Malekith sighed.

"I'll bring her to meet you tomorrow morning. You two can work out the details on their formations and placement," the captain answered.

Malekith stared at the war room table for a moment as he thought about how to utilize gunners. Elves weren't known for using guns and he wasn't entirely certain what this iron hail gunner company could actually do. Recalling the various types of troops he had seen at this garrison, the Iron Hail gunners were most likely the humans that used the blunderbuss guns and grenade launchers. They were mostly comprised of women as well. He found it odd how many women the Cathayan military forces utilized. The western nations such as the Empire and Bretonnia barely ever had women in their militaries, but it seemed more common in Cathay for whatever reason. Not that it really bothered Malekith at all. Close to a third of the druchii military was female out of necessity since they lacked the same numbers the Asur had. That wasn't even counting the witch elves. Though he did notice that there were gender roles assigned to certain military occupations within Cathay. Ranged troops tended to be more female and melee troops more male among the Cathayans. Almost all of the conscripted peasants were male, which implied female civilians doubtfully had any militia experience or combat expectations unlike elven females. That made it obvious that all the women who were here were volunteer enlistees in the Cathayan military.

"We need some more substantial information on exactly how many warmachines and how much artillery the enemy has. What can you tell us about that?" Sung Lian followed up.

"They had at least a dozen of those iron trains to breach through the gates, and I saw no less than thirty pieces of artillery…though there's likely more. I believe they're called dreadquake mortars. It's very advanced technology and will do significant damage to stone and steel. They had twenty hellcannons in the area I saw and with all their warbeasts like mammoths and manticores, it will be very difficult to deal with them in open areas. The city will take a lot of damage, but you'll have better cover behind the walls as opposed to on it. Our objective is to kill them in waves and that will be much easier to do if they don't shoot the outer wall completely down," Malekith noted.

"Your tactical analysis makes more sense when there's that issue to consider. I have another question. What is this K'daii destroyer you mentioned? I've never heard of such a thing before." the captain asked.

"It's some kind of daemon engine that walks on four legs and looks like a giant metal bull. I've never seen one in battle before, so I have no idea what it can do. I only hear that the greatest daemon smiths of the chaos dwarves will unleash these abominations when they're dead set on conquering or killing something. Considering that it's made of metal and fire, I doubt anything is going to be that effective at stopping it," Malekith sighed.

"I would suggest you take two terracotta sentinels at your area from the two flanks. I'll move up jade warriors to cover the other two entrances to compensate. You'll need them if that thing gets through the breach. We'll need something to slow that monstrosity down. As the captain informed you, I've already enchanted the Terracotta sentinels to protect and obey you as well," Sung Lian insisted.

"If they'll listen to me then I'll take two terracotta sentinels in my area," Malekith nodded in agreement.

"Do you have any idea how we can stop that K'daii Destroyer?" Sung Lian asked.

Malekith thought for a moment, "Warpstone is very effective against dwarven made constructs. It's how the skaven have overwhelmed them for millennia. Magical armaments are the only thing I can think of to destroy that thing. It would work if you could weaponize warpstone. I know the Skaven can make bullets out of it. Those would be able to penetrate its metal hide. That or perhaps some kind of bomb. Your people seem technologically advanced enough to make something destructive out of warpstone. That's what I'd recommend. Otherwise, Princess Shen Zoo and I will have to destroy it with magic."

"Warpstone bullets…hmm, we have a small cache of warpstone, but not nearly enough time to make armaments out of it. Perhaps we could make a warpstone bomb. I'll have our engineers focus on that tomorrow. Alchemist Xu Feng also has experience working with warpstone since she's from Shang-Yang. She should be able to help them come up with something," the captain noted.

"While you're both here, there's a matter I wanted to inform you about. That manticore I rode in on came back. I sent it away until tomorrow, but I asked some of the longma riders to prepare me a place for it to stay temporarily. I'm going to mark it and we'll use it in the battle," Malekith stated.

Sung Lian frowned, "You're going to keep it in the garrison? That might be a problem."

"I assure you it won't attack anyone. I'll keep it under control," Malekith replied.

Captain Zhu traded a wary glance with Sung Lian before speaking, "How do you plan on distinguishing it from enemy manticores?"

"Painting it in your colors most likely. I was thinking that obnoxious bright green you people seem to love. I'll figure something out," he stated.

"Just so long as it doesn't try to eat anyone…" the captain trailed off.

"It won't, I'll make sure the beast is pacified. Do you need anything else from me? I'm about to retire for the night," Malekith asked.

"That's all for now. I'll send word to our night shift engineers to get started on the warpstone bomb. I can't believe I'm saying it, but that's the best idea you've had since we've met," Captain Zhu nodded before leaving.

Sung Lian crossed her arms, "You stole that creature from chaos warriors and it's loyal to you? Why did that manticore come back?"

"Because I told him to in case this situation with you people didn't work out. I always have contingency plans and I was going to leave if you tried to execute me. I didn't come all this way to die for nothing. If I have to die, I'd rather die in battle," Malekith answered honestly.

"Well, just so long as you keep it under control…I'll trust your decision. It's just baffling to me that you can talk to that thing." she nodded.

"Even chaos warriors and Norscans can keep manticores under control, so it will be fine. It's not like it's a hydra. That would actually require constant oversight," the elf shrugged.

"Is it true that your people can actually tame hydras? I've never seen one before, but I've seen drawings of them, and my father said they can regenerate constantly making them all but impossible to kill conventionally." Sung Lian seemed skeptical about this information.

Malekith nodded, "It's not easy, but our beastlords can tame them. The more powerful hydras can only be controlled by the greatest beastlords or Dhar users like me or my mother. I keep royal hydras as pets in Naggarond. They're specially bred and are far more lethal than wild hydras. The largest one is Baelon the Black Dread. My mother also has an entire collection of spellthirster hydras which are magic resistant and were bred to kill mages. Controlling a manticore is like controlling a lion or tiger. Even humans can do it. Controlling a hydra is like trying to control a basilisk. It will kill you if you show any weakness. Sea Dragons, helldrakes, and the deep sea Kharibydss' are even more difficult to control…let alone black dragons. To me a manticore might as well be a flying cat."

"So…I've always wondered about how elves control western dragons. Do you actually ride them?! How do you convince such a majestic creature to let you ride it?" Sung Lian asked curiously.

Malekith shrugged, "Not just dragons…some elves can even ride phoenixes as well. I understand it's considered humiliating to the eastern dragons. Shen Zoo has made that expressly clear to me when she refused to fly us, but western dragons typically see elves as allies and companions…not masters. While your standard druchii might see them as little more than a powerful beast, only a rare few can actually command the respect of a black dragon enough to become its rider. Those who ride black dragons quickly realize that the dragon isn't their pet or solely their mount…it's their bonded companion. It's incredibly rare for any druchii to control a dragon they didn't raise themselves. As such only distinguished lords can even afford a hatchling to raise. My personal dragon is the current brood mother of the black dragons and a descendant of my last one that the Asur killed. Her name is Seraphon and she's violent, powerful, and uncontrollable. She kills anyone who tries to handle her except for me or my greatest beastlord Rakarth. She only lets me ride her though. Shen Zoo believes I should treat her more like a person and teach her how to speak. My time with the princess has somewhat enlightened me to the nature of dragons and so I'm looking forward to seeing Seraphon again. Seraphon is my most trusted companion and she's wholly loyal to me…I trust her more than own bodyguard. The bond between elves and dragons isn't as barbaric or one-sided as you might think. The Asur of Caledor have even greater bonds with the ancient moon and star dragons and treat them with reverence as one might treat a distinguished wise elder. Most druchii don't venerate their dragons, but I certainly respect mine. One of the main reasons I got sucked into the realms of chaos was to save her from dying like my last dragon Sulekh."

"So, you love your dragon then?" Sung Lian asked with fascination.

Malekith shrugged, "Everyone I used to love is dead, and Seraphon isn't exactly a benevolent dragon. She killed all her fellow hatchlings when she was born. She's as malevolent as I am…or was. I couldn't say how she feels, but I suppose if I'm capable of loving anything in Naggaroth, then it would probably be her. I wish she was here right now for this battle. Very little is capable of stopping me when I'm riding her."

"Well…I suppose that's not the only dragon you've won over. I've always been interested in seeing a western dragon. I hope to get the chance one day," Sung Lian trailed off as she looked away.

"Maybe you will…if we all survive this," was all Malekith could think to say. He didn't know why he offered something like that to the woman, but it caught her off guard.

Sung Lian gawked at him, "Seriously?"

"If Shen Zoo has her way, Naggaroth will be allies with Cathay…though I have to go restore order and kill a bunch of dissenters first. I've been gone for two centuries, and they probably think I'm dead. They won't like me ending the raids on Cathay…so I'll certainly have to kill half my dreadlords and commandeer all the black arks to enforce my new changes," Malekith shrugged.

The shugengan seemed shocked by this information, "Wait…you're going to war with your own people?"

"Yes…if I survive, I want to go back home and fix Naggaroth. The goal is to eventually end slavery and reaving. It probably won't happen in your lifetime, but I am not opposed to being allies with Cathay eventually…assuming the other dragons accept it. It's wishful thinking, but I've neglected my own kingdom for too long while fighting these endless wars with Ulthuan. I want to make peace and rebuild so that we can focus on the real enemy of the world…chaos. Seeing your great bastion has even inspired me to improve our northern watchtowers. I also plan on purging the Hung tribes once and for all," Malekith nodded.

"You're saying I won't see that in my lifetime?! I'm dragon-blooded! I'm already sixty-five and most people in my family live for a few centuries. I most certainly will live to see that! I'm shocked…you're actually going to end slavery and ally with Cathay?!" she remarked.

Malekith sighed, "I'm going to destroy Naggaroth and rebuild it from the ground up. I'm tired of backstabbing hedonists ruining the memory of what my people used to be. I don't promise anything, but assuming things go well, maybe you will see my dragon Seraphon one day."

"That's truly remarkable…I have no doubts that the dragons would support such a noble cause. The princess said you're going to meet the Emperor. Maybe Xen Yang will help you since you're already helping us," Sung Lian seemed awestruck by this newfound knowledge.

"Shen Zoo seems to think so, but I'll believe it when I see it. She's a bit naïve despite how old she is. Showing me any support can all but guarantee one making an enemy of Ulthuan. I highly doubt they would do that even if they were grateful. I'm content to just make peace and end the raiding. That's the only thing I can guarantee right now," Malekith shook his head.

"Xen Yang is honorable…and saving his youngest daughter from Chi'an Chi is not something he would dismiss lightly. I think the Emperor will support you…especially after learning of your future intentions. Helping the bastion will also convince the Storm Dragon that you're an ally. If anything, the only real issues you will have to deal with are the Moon Empress and the Sea Dragon. They hate dark elves. Her highness Quai Yin is extremely wary of Naggaroth and even forbade Princess Yin-Yin from openly warring with the dark elves because she was afraid of the Witch King…you…killing the Sea Dragon," Sung Lian noted.

"I'm surprised they're wary of me at all considering that they're practically gods. I'm powerful, but certainly not on that scale," Malekith shrugged.

"The last time I attended the celestial court was twenty years ago. Many shugengan and the sea dragon herself demanded retaliation against the dark elves for sacking Beichai and ravaging the city. The Emperor was in favor of it, but Empress Quai Yin was not. She told Princess Yin-Yin that the dark elves were not to be underestimated and that the Witch King and his powerful hag mother would kill her if she tried to invade Naggaroth. She said that the Dark Elf Navy was too powerful and that their leaders were too dangerous to antagonize. The Empress was afraid of you killing Princess Yin-Yin…she thinks you're more powerful than the Sea Dragon and that infuriated the princess. Though considering Princess Shen Zoo's claim of you being more powerful than her, I'm inclined to believe it. You certainly seem confident about fighting alone tomorrow night." Sung Lian explained.

"Power is relative so I couldn't say…but my mother is certainly the most dangerous elf in the world. Your empress was wise to not draw her ire. Even I consider my mother pure evil…and she's certainly a greater mage than I am. She is not to be taken lightly. Even I don't take her lightly and I'm her son and king," Malekith shrugged.

Sung Lian seemed fascinated by this insight as she tilted her head, "How so? What makes her evil…strange that you would think that of your own mother."

"She convinced the Hung tribes to follow her because she's secretly a chaos worshipper. My cruelty and actions have always had a purpose. Hers is simply for the satisfaction of inflicting pain. She doesn't care about anyone but herself. If she didn't need me and my royal status, I imagine she would have killed me by now. She was the second wife of the first Phoenix King Aenarion…but she was not a queen. She desires queenship and autonomy over all the elves and tries to manipulate me. I'd say the worst thing she ever did was kill my wife from Athel Loren who tried to reunite with me. According to her, my wife would make me weak. Needless to say, she's a vindictive narcissist who would burn this world to the ground if she couldn't have it for herself. I could easily blame her for my own actions, but I refuse to do that. I chose to listen to her for all these years…but I won't ever again. For the elves to survive, she must die," Malekith decided to elaborate for the Shugengan.

"You don't really seem evil to me. It's hard to imagine you're the dark elf king. I mean…you're training peasants how to fight and protecting humans. Even high elves wouldn't do that for Cathay. I can see why the princess likes you. I know it's probably too late to change your opinion of me, but once again I apologize. I was wrong about you…and I hope we can all live to see a better future between your people and mine," Sung Lian bowed her head respectfully to him.

Malekith sighed, "Well, we probably shouldn't think too far ahead. We have a battle to deal with first. I appreciate your willingness to work with me, Shugengan. I accept your apology."

"You can call me Lian…if you want," Sung Lian followed up after a long silence.

He looked at her a bit baffled but did not say anything in response.

"Goodnight," the elf finally stated before leaving.

"Goodnight, your highness," Sung Lian bowed her head as she looked away a bit awkwardly at his lack of reciprocation to her trying to be friendly.

Malekith was somewhat surprised at how cordial Sung Lian was trying to be now. Not even a day ago she hated his guts and now she was offering to let him call her by her given name? It didn't make any sense to him. Shen Zoo must have said something to her in private to make her act this way…there was no other explanation in his mind.

Shortly after, Malekith located his quarters and was quick to enter and close the door. He spent a good several minutes inspecting the room for any traps or surprises and also barricaded his door a bit excessively.

Once he felt secure enough to let his guard down, he sprawled out onto the bed in his armour and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

Malekith's Dream

Finding himself back in Athel Toralien, Malekith awoke almost feverishly from his bed and could see Allisara sleeping beside him. He sat up and looked at his wife for a moment as she rested peacefully at his side.

'I shouldn't disturb her…' Malekith thought as he stood up and quickly went about reequipping his armour. He did so as quietly as he could and when he was done, took a pause at the window to look out into the midday sun. He couldn't remember the last time he slept this well. While he did enjoy it, the prince was uncomfortable lounging around in Alandrian's home.

It had only been one night, and he was already getting stir crazy again. He hated sitting around and doing nothing, but he also didn't want to pass up the chance to spend more time with his wife. With that said, it almost felt impossible to relax when his mother was trying to micromanage every last thing in the palace. He needed to find a way to get her out of here and soon.

Malekith yawned lightly before leaving the room and making his way through the palace mansion of Athel Toralien as he searched for Morathi. His mother had of course been insufferable during the banquet that he regretfully dropped on Alandrian's family the night before. Fortunately for her, Morathi was smart enough to not be rude to Allisara. Though it was painfully evident that they both disliked each other a great deal. He found it astounding how someone as pure and gentle as Allisara could hold contempt for someone. If that wasn't telling about Morathi's wickedness, then nothing was.

The prince of Nagarythe shook his head in disgust at the thought of his mother and her ill temperament. He could not stand her being around his friends or his troops…let alone his wife. She was so haughty and condescending to them that part of him wondered how she was able to seduce Aenarion in the first place. Both of Alandrian's daughters had been absent at the feast for whatever reason, but Malekith was grateful that they didn't have the misfortune of meeting his mother.

He couldn't even imagine how his mother would react to Alandrian's daughters. Morathi seemed to hate anyone who couldn't directly benefit her in some way, and some star-struck naïve colony princesses were little more than lambs awaiting slaughter.

As he passed through the halls, Malekith was anxiously, and almost fearfully, greeted by busy servants and workers. No doubt these simple colony elves were concerned about leaving a bad impression to a prince from Ulthuan…especially one of his reputation.

Their newly promoted Prince Alandrian was Malekith's underling after all, and he was a figure of great importance to the Elthin-Arvan out here.

"Your highness is there anything you need? I'm happy to serve!" an overeager elven maid asked as she practically beamed at the sight of him passing. She looked star struck and awed by him more than most of the other citizens Malekith had encountered. She was an adolescent, petite, fair-haired, and far too pretty to be a regular servant. Though her clothes signified that she was clearly a handmaiden or serf to Alandrian's family.

"Not particularly…do you know where Alandrian is?" Malekith asked.

"Prince Alandrian is currently with the Lady Mirieth attending court in the great hall," the girl answered him.

"Where are Alandrian's daughters at? They didn't attend the banquet last night," Malekith asked.

The girl looked nervous as she bowed her head, "I deeply apologize, your highness for their absence. They wanted to meet you and the queen Morathi last night, but their mother Mirieth forbade it. I…apologize on their behalf. They were extremely upset about it."

'Queen Morathi…I can't believe she fancies herself a queen. Yvraine is the queen of Ulthuan, not her.' Malekith thought disgusted by the title.

"The young princesses Hellebron and Lirieth were quite mesmerized by the sight of you and your mother entering port yesterday. Queen Morathi is the most beautiful person we've ever seen before," the handmaiden said dreamily.

"Great…more sycophants. All of you should really get out more often," Malekith muttered with disgust.

"They were of course in awe of you as well, Prince Malekith. You're probably the most handsome elf we've ever seen here before. You still look so young despite being older than Prince Alandrian. Princess Lirieth said you looked like a male version of Queen Morathi. You and the queen are mesmerizing and it's truly an honor to see you in person. I feel blessed that you are even speaking to me right now," the handmaiden followed up with an adolescent girlish blush.

Malekith hated it when people boot-licked or complimented him…it always meant they wanted something or were trying to manipulate him. He showed no emotion to her awkwardly flirtatious comment and quickly moved the conversation along, "Who exactly are you? It seems you know Alandrian's family quite well."

The girl bowed politely as she grabbed her skirt and knelt, "I'm Lillian, your highness. I'm the handmaiden of the older princess Hellebron. She considers me her friend, but I know I'm just her servant. Forgive me for speaking out of line there…I didn't mean to…I…you're just so...I'm sorry your highness."

"Is something wrong with you?" Malekith asked unfazed by her flushed stuttering.

"N-no your highness. Please forgive my unsightly behavior. I spoke out of line there. You're just so amazing and…I should probably stop talking now," the maiden bowed her head with complete embarrassment.

Malekith rolled his eyes at her and sighed, "Since you know Alandrian's older daughter, would you mind answering some questions about her to me?

"O-of course. It would be my pleasure. Anything in particular?" Lillian perked up and seemed relieved that Malekith wasn't angry at her adolescent swooning.

"Alandrian told me she wanted to come on an expedition with us. Is she good at anything? Speak honestly and spare me kind feelings on the matter. I need to assess her eligibility, and I don't want to embarrass the girl by asking her personally unless I'm sure of it. Since she is Alandrian's daughter, I'm giving it some consideration." Malekith wondered.

The girl seemed a bit surprised by Malekith mentioning her mistress' aspirations to her and stuttered slightly, "I-I uhh…Umm, the princess is very enthusiastic and eager to learn. I believe she is more like Prince Alandrian than her sister Lirieth. It's not really my place to speak on her behalf though."

"That doesn't answer my question. Is she good at anything? Everyone in my army has a job, and everyone gets their hands dirty. Does she know how to fight or sail? Can she chart stars or forge? Can she sew? Is she good at math? Can she cook? I do happen to need a new cartographer as well. Alandrian is good at all of those things, but he has quite a knack for learning languages above all else. I could find a use for his daughter if she had any of those skills. Otherwise, she'd be a liability and a distraction to my army. I'm not running a pleasure fleet…it's a military expedition," Malekith replied.

"I…don't know, your highness, but the princess is a very quick learner. From what I've seen, she's eager to raise her status and follow in her father's footsteps. I've never seen her fail at anything she set her mind to doing. I would say her best qualities are her oratory skills, her tenacity, and her beauty. She is very bold and fearless as well." Lillian answered timidly.

"Since when did beauty become a skill? Alandrian told me the girls were sheltered, but I wasn't expecting them to have so little experience with anything practical. I'm a prince and my father Aenarion still made me fight daemons when I was your age or younger. I was expected to learn statecraft, sailing, survival skills, and magic from my mother as well. I don't blame the princess though…there's not much point in a girl having such skills out here. I just found it curious that a sheltered girl actually wanted to go on an expedition with us. Would you say there's a motive behind it? Is she just looking for excitement or does she actually want to become like her father? Don't lie to me." Malekith followed up.

Lillian looked concerned as if she just said something wrong and quickly shook her head, "The princess does not agree with the way her mother controls her life. She idolizes her father and you…and I have no doubts that she would do anything to be given a chance to prove herself. She believes in traditional female roles, but also wants to be more than…a 'trophy wife' as she put it."

"So, she wants to be like my mother? That's the opposite of Alandrian or me. It sounds like the girl just wants to gain prestige and fame. I suppose I'll see for myself shortly. Do you know where your mistress is right now?" Malekith asked.

Lillian quickly answered him, "The princess went to go meet Queen Morathi not long ago."

'That's not good…' Malekith thought horrified at the scenario.

"Thank you, girl. You may continue with your duties. Also, this conversation stays between us. Do not go gossiping about it, or you'll be finding yourself a new home." Malekith stated.

"Of course, your highness! If there's anything else you need, please let me know…and I do mean anything. I'm very good at keeping secrets as well, so you can trust me. Is there…any other way I can serve you, sire? Nothing would make me happier." she said a bit too suggestively for his liking.

'Is this girl really trying to seduce me? What's wrong with her?' Malekith thought disbelievingly before turning to leave.

He said nothing in response to the blushing girl's brazen attempt to flirt as he simply departed. He had to get to Morathi's room before Alandrian's daughter did. A short trek later, Malekith found himself outside of Morathi's bed chambers. The doors were open, and he could hear his mother laughing in her usual condescending way.

"Why would I associate myself with you?" Morathi asked, "what do you possibly have to offer me?"

'I'm too late…' Malekith thought as he decided to wait outside and hear the whole thing out.

"Do you know any magic?" Morathi scoffed as if she was speaking to a commoner and not a princess.

He heard a girl's voice nervously answer, "V-very little your majesty…it's not the best place to really learn magic out in the colonies. Perhaps under your tutelage I could-"

Morathi immediately cut her off, "No…you could not. If your magic gifts haven't shown themselves by now, your latent magic ability will be of no use to me. What else can you do? Sing?"

"N-not fantastically well, your majesty," the girl's voice cracked. Morathi was not holding back on her.

"Poetry perhaps?" his mother sneered.

"No, not at all, your majesty…" the girl almost whimpered.

Dance?" Morathi followed up.

"I-I'm not the most graceful…" the girl trailed off. It was clear that she knew this wasn't going to end well now.

"Honesty is a rare trait. I like that about you, but you offer me nothing at all. Your father already serves my son, and I don't need you," Morathi said cruelly to the girl. "Who are you to think you have a place in my circle? You are nothing and nobody."

Even as cruel as he was at times, Malekith felt it was a bit excessive for his mother to torment this girl for no reason. From the tone of her voice, it almost seemed like Morathi was enjoying this a bit too much. As if this was somewhat personal to her.

'I should have had Alandrian tell her to not talk to mother. Granted, this is just a taste of what the highborn in Ulthuan act like. Maybe mother is doing her a favor by toughening the girl up…but I wouldn't call her a useless nobody. It's still Alandrian's daughter. It seems like she was more interested in joining mother than our fleet. Typical…just another aspiring Morathi sycophant. I actually had hopes for the girl. What a shame,' Malekith thought about whether or not Morathi was justified in her words in the following awkward silence.

"A noble attempt child," Morathi spoke heartlessly, "but your lips quiver and I can see in your eyes that you are already broken with shame. Do not think that pity will sway me either. You are weak and spoiled like so many of your generation. I am disappointed your father has not raised you better. I expected more from Alandrian's daughter. Perhaps your mother is to blame."

Malekith could hear the girl beginning to audibly cry and his mother standing up. He stealthily moved up to the door so he could get a look at what was happening.

"Remember this shame, child," Morathi said with a callous smile, "Remember this moment of frailty. This world belongs to the strong and you are certainly not one of them. Realize that Nagarythe is in the hands of those far better than you. You have nothing but an unremarkable destiny in front of you and tomorrow I won't even remember your name. Don't come to me again unless you have something to give to our people."

Getting a closer look at her, Malekith was actually shocked by how pretty the girl was. He wasn't normally fazed by such things, but this girl rivaled his own mother in looks. She seemed tall for her age and well formed.

"I am sorry…" the girl cried as she wiped away her tears.

"Sorry for me or sorry for yourself, child?" Morathi spoke venomously with dark and soulless eyes.

Morathi almost seemed to rub salt into the girls emotional wounds as she escorted her to the door. Malekith moved back around the corner and watched as the young beautiful girl ran out of the room followed by a bald attendant.

Once she was gone, he saw Morathi look in his direction, "Eavesdropping is not something you're skilled at, Malekith. You should know better by now that you can't sneak up on me."

"I suppose it's not," he said simply as he walked into view and up to Morathi meeting her amused gaze.

"Well, she didn't notice you. Add that to the list of things she's incompetent at. Is this what Alandrian really wanted yesterday?" Morathi asked with a sly smirk.

The prince gave her a blank look, "Not exactly, but he did mention his daughter wanted to get out and see the world on an expedition. I wasn't aware she aspired to be one of your sycophants. Even so…was it really necessary to torment that girl?"

"Coming from you, that's hilarious! Didn't you have someone killed for calling you by the wrong rank?" Morathi laughed as she grabbed his arm and started smiling happily.

"There was more to it than that. He spoke ill of Nagarythe elves prior to that incident. His disrespect towards me was passive and guised, but it was done intentionally to invoke a reaction all while pretending it was a mistake. He didn't think I could reprimand him, but I did. I don't play games with the courts of Ulthuan. They're constantly testing me to see how much they can get away with. That was meant to send a message to those spineless politicians. They may not like me, but they will respect me," Malekith defended himself.

Morathi smirked, "I wasn't saying I objected to it, son. People need to be put in their place…otherwise they start getting fool notions that their pathetic opinions mean something in regard to their betters. Take that girl for instance…how brazen can one be? To come to me with such entitled delusion and offer nothing.

"She is certainly sheltered, but you were far too harsh on that girl. She is still Alandrian's daughter and could be worth something someday. With her physique, she would probably have an aptitude for combat," Malekith pointed out a positive thing about Hellebron.

His mother narrowed her gaze and scoffed, "A girl like that doesn't have the conviction to be a warrior."

"As if you'd know what a warrior's conviction is. It's the willingness to die for something. I don't think you're willing to die for anything," Malekith shook his head.

"Why does this concern you so much? You're showing such unusual sympathy for that spoiled girl…" Morathi pointed out with a disapproving look.

"I'm glad you never said anything like that to me before," Malekith trailed off as Morathi led him into her chambers.

Morathi smirked, "Why would I? You're my son and you look just like me. But of course, you have your father's eyes. You're also talented at magic, a master of martial combat, and you share my aptitude for most things. We're a breed apart from these backwater lowlifes. Don't feel pity for that little brat, Malekith. I find it remarkable that she had the audacity to think I'd take her as a handmaiden when she possesses no skills and no political power. I merely shattered her fantasy and showed her a taste of the real world. If I was able to make her cry, then what makes you think she has any kind of warrior conviction? She ran away in tears like a pathetic little girl when I told her something she didn't want to hear. That's the attitude of a spoiled child."

"Which one of Alandrian's daughters was that?" Malekith asked despite already knowing.

"I think the older one. I already forgot her name…Hellena or something like that," Morathi shrugged carelessly.

Malekith quickly answered his own question, "Hellebron is the older one I believe."

"After that banquet last night, I'm convinced their worthless mother is to blame for her condition. Alandrian is actually competent…it's hard to believe his daughter is so weak and useless. That's what happens when you marry colonists, Malekith. Now do you see my concerns over your marriage? I shudder to think what my grandchildren will be like with Allisara raising them. I refuse to let them turn out like that girl. Any children of yours will require my personal oversight and education." Morathi noted.

Several of Morathi's handmaidens watched the exchange with curious stares as they seemed to find entertainment in watching their mistress and her son converse. Malekith heard one of them giggle slightly. She quickly silenced herself when Malekith looked in her direction.

The prince then sent a fierce glare towards his mother as he ripped his arm free of her, "You know what I think? I think that girl you just called useless is actually prettier than all of your handmaidens and you. I also think you have no right to dictate someone else's destiny. You're the one living in delusion by pretending you're a queen, when my sister sits on the throne of the Everqueen."

Malekith had never seen his mother so wounded by his words before as she stared at him aghast with disbelief that he would say something so brazen about her…and especially her renowned beauty.

"What did you just say?!" Morathi asked menacingly.

"I think the only reason you didn't want that girl is because you're threatened by the fact that she's prettier than you. Perhaps you're afraid she'll surpass you if you mentor her. The only reason you mentored me is because you need me to stay relevant. You only see people for what they can give you and not who they are. I wonder if you would have even loved my father had he not been the Phoenix King," Malekith stated with cold logic.

In the blink of an eye, Morathi slapped him across the face as her eyes went dark with rage. She then looked at all of her handmaidens and spoke angrily, "Leave us and don't let me catch any of you trying to eavesdrop!"

All of Morathi's handmaidens swiftly vacated the chamber as they practically ran for the door and closed it behind themselves. Once they were gone, Malekith awaited the verbal onslaught he was about to endure.

"If you weren't my son…you'd be dead for saying that to me. Why do you insult your dear mother with such spiteful, malicious lies?! I am Aenarion's bride! I AM a queen, and that pathetic child is not more beautiful than I am! How dare you say that to me! Have you forgotten who you're speaking to?! If I'm not a queen, then you're just a bastard!" Morathi spoke sadistically as her hands lit up with magic.

Malekith already knew what was about to happen. He even knew the spell Morathi was preparing and readied himself. She quickly unleashed an agony hex on him causing Malekith to slump down to his knees grimacing in pain.

"All your time away has made you soft, weak, and unappreciative of me. I made you and I'll be damned if I ever hear you say something like that to me ever again! Who are you without me?! Why are you so resentful of me?! I give you everything I possibly can, and you don't care! You've grown complacent and you never listen to me anymore! I've had enough of it! That treehugging bitch that you married has turned you against me, hasn't she?! Let me guess…she probably wants you to live out here with the rest of the lowlifes while the traitors who stole our throne reap the benefits of your thankless labor! Your father would be ashamed to see you like this…I certainly am! He wanted YOU to succeed him and here you are serving usurpers and insulting the only person who cares about your destiny! I've grown tired of your fool notions that colonists are worthy of us. You're going to get rid Allisara and marry someone important so we can get allies in Ulthuan! If you don't have the gall to do it, then I'll do it myself for your own good!" Morathi hissed.

To Morathi's surprise, Malekith dispersed her agony hex as he stood back up and began to glow with magic himself. Before she knew what had happened, Malekith grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground as he slammed her against a wall.

"While you were indulging in your pitiful hedonism and undeserved self-importance, I was at war and I'm not the same boy you can do that to anymore, mother! I am the ruler of Nagarythe, not you! I'm royal…and you're just my father's concubine! You are no queen, and you never were! We'll see what your supposed queenship is without me! Listen very closely…you are never going to undermine me again or criticize Allisara! You will no longer belittle my underlings and you will not dictate what I choose to do! I'll kick you out of my circle if you can't comply with my decrees! Is that understood, mother?!" Malekith growled as he squeezed tighter.

Morathi quickly nodded her head before Malekith let go. She gasped for air briefly before looking up at him despairingly. She looked like she couldn't believe what just happened and spoke softly, "I love you…I just want what's best for you. You're so much like your father…you don't want to listen to me either. Nobody ever did…nobody believes in me. Not even my own son. Why can't things just be like they were before? Why do you hate me so much? I want nothing more than for you to succeed. You're the most important person in the world to me and I do everything in my power to help you. What do I have to do to mend our relationship? Is your wife really more important to you than me?"

For whatever reason, Malekith actually felt bad for his actions and his mother's sad demeanor. He sighed heavily before apologizing, "I'm sorry…that was excessive. I don't hate you mother."

"Do you still love me, Malekith?" Morathi asked distantly.

"You're my mother…and you always will be. I suppose I do," he replied without actually saying the words.

Morathi stood up slowly before looking away, "Remember this, son…I'll be with you long after all of these people are gone. Long after your wife is dead, we'll still be alive. What will you have after another thousand years or two? Me…you'll always have me. Don't forget that we're in this together forever. We shouldn't fight like this. I'll respect your boundaries from now on…just don't push me away. We need each other. I just don't want to see your life wasted for the sake of people who don't deserve it. That girl would have you throw away your entire life just to live in obscurity like your pitiful half-brother Morelion. You have a great destiny ahead of you, Malekith, and it infuriates me to see others trying to keep you from it. You deserve more than this…WE deserve more. Altruism and humility are the paths to irrelevance and servitude. Your father wouldn't want that for you. I certainly don't. Do you think Aenarion would find Allisara worthy of you? I doubt it."

Malekith had no idea what to say in response and to his disbelief, Morathi actually hugged him affectionately. The prince remained motionless and stoic as he slowly reciprocated her action. He couldn't tell if it was genuine affection and remorse or one of her manipulative tactics, but it did make him feel bad.

"You should go back home for now, mother. I have two expeditions planned and I won't be staying in the city longer than a week," Malekith stated.

"I wanted to go see some of the other colony cities. I'll visit them on my way back. Maybe when you get home, we can…go on a trip to the mountains? It's been centuries since just the two of us spent any meaningful time together. I miss those days. I was thinking maybe I can tutor you more in magic. I've learned new spells and I want to teach them to you." she suggested hopefully.

"Maybe. We'll talk about it when I get home," Malekith said avoidantly as he broke off Morathi's embrace and turned to leave.

"Enjoy Allisara while you can, but don't give up on your destiny for the sake of some girl. I don't think she's serious about your marriage. If she was, she'd live in Tor Anlec. I'll see you when you get home. You clearly need some time alone," Morathi called out as Malekith opened the door and exited into the hallway.

As he walked out into the hallway, Malekith saw something that caused his heart to skip a beat. Allisara was standing outside and was actually crying.

Upon seeing him, she immediately ran away without saying a word, but it seemed quite clear that she had probably overheard most of what Morathi said.

Malekith chased his wife down the halls and eventually caught up to her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt.

She looked away from him as tears continued to pour down her face. Allisara was completely silent and seemed greatly upset.

"Allisara…what's wrong?" Malekith asked with concern.

His wife didn't look at him as she softly answered, "Tree hugging colony bitch…so that's what she thinks of me, huh?"

"How much of that did you overhear?" Malekith asked horrified.

Allisara refused to look at him as she stared at the ground, "Enough to know to that you're willing to defend some girl against your mother over me. She was very beautiful…"

"Listen, Allisara…you're my wife and nothing will ever change that. I won't let my mother torment you anymore. I'm sorry you had to hear that, but don't let it get to you. She will not interfere with us ever again," he tried to reassure the she elf.

"It's true though, isn't it? She hates me and she thinks I'm holding you back. Maybe I am. What use am I to you when you're more attracted to your friend's daughter over me? You're already humoring the idea of a younger girl. How many others have there been?" Allisara said distantly.

Malekith grabbed her by the chin and forced her to meet his gaze, "There hasn't been any others! I don't care what she thinks. I only care what you think. I could have married some princess from Saphery or Tiranoc but I didn't. I chose you, Allisara…because you're the only one I trust…and love."

Her emotions began to spill out as she started sobbing, "Then let's just get away from all of this and have a family. I don't want HER raising my children."

"She won't…I'll make sure of that, but you know I can't retire yet," Malekith sighed heavily as Allisara buried her head in his chest.

"Why not?! You're over a thousand years old, aren't you? People don't just live forever…and we're not getting any younger. Haven't you done enough for HER…or for them? Why can't we just go live happily? Why can't you let go of this fool notion that you have to be some great hero like your father? What about me? Can't you live your life for me and our family?" Allisara pleaded.

"So, you want us to live out in the colonies? Any children we have will be the heirs of Tor Anlec and House Tinuron. You know as well as I do that royal responsibilities cannot be ignored. If it will make you feel better, I will stay in Tor Anlec once our future children are born to help you raise them," Malekith sighed.

"I know you mean that, Malekith…I truly believe it, but I just don't trust your mother and I don't want our children being ostracized by the courts of Ulthuan. I already see how they treat you and it wounds me. Even your brother and his daughter get mistreated because of that Curse of Khaine nonsense," Allisara said sadly.

"I'm going to change that eventually. I'll make the courts of Ulthuan recognize me, and our children will be beloved...as will you," Malekith said convincingly.

Allisara shook her head, "And how are you going to do that? It's not like you can be phoenix king unless you really do want to marry your sister…"

Malekith looked away, "I don't want that…but I swear that I will win over the elves of Ulthuan one day. They'll see me the same way they saw my father."

"People in the colonies already respect and celebrate you…do their opinions not matter? You're so obsessed with proving yourself that you're blind to the people who actually do see you that way. Who cares about the courts of Ulthuan. Are their opinions more important than mine?" Allisara asked.

"You just have to believe in me like you always have, Allisara. No matter what I can promise you that I will always protect any children we have under any circumstance. I do want to have a family with you, and I'm not opposed to us regularly visiting the colonies to see your sister either."

"Well…when are you going to retire from your expeditions and just stay with me? I feel like I've wasted my entire maidenhood waiting for you to come home." Allisara asked.

The prince frowned, "I don't know yet…I still feel like there's things I need to do out in the world. Plus, I am Ulthuan's main ambassador now."

"I'll tell you what, Malekith…I'll settle in Anlec when you finally retire. I only pray you don't get yourself killed chasing your father's shadow before then. I can't imagine what I'd do if you died on me for some vain reason," his wife countered.

"I won't die…and I'll always be here for you, Allisara," Malekith said confidently as he hugged his wife.

This seemed to alleviate her depression as she reciprocated his hug and kissed him a moment later. The beauty of the moment was completely shattered halfway through the kiss as Malekith realized something was wrong.

He no longer saw Allisara in front of him. A split second later, her appearance shifted back to the form of Slaanesh as Malekith felt himself being overpowered and pushed to the ground.

Slaanesh was straddling him now and looking down with amusement, "I do love it when you dream, Malekith. It's the only intimate time I get with you now. Don't think that Asuryan can protect you from me. You will eventually submit to me of your own free will. Do you want to know a secret? I know who your heir is! Be nice and maybe I'll tell you…"

"GET OFF OF ME! Go to hell where you belong, monster!" Malekith shouted.

"You belong to me…and once I want something I ALWAYS get it! Your soul will me mine eventually and there's nothing your pathetic gods can do to keep you from Slaanesh!" the god laughed before pinning Malekith down and forcing his lips against him.

Even with all his might he couldn't push the god off and shouted with asphyxiated horror as the god sucked out his soul once again.

End of Dream

"ARGHHH! NO! DIE!" Malekith howled awake as he jumped off the bed screaming and shot a streak of lightning against the wall.

After calming himself, he slowed his breathing and shook his head, 'Why do I keep dreaming about the past…and why does Slaanesh keep showing up in my dreams?! Is this going to go on forever? So…he knows who my heir is?! That's not good. Maybe I should prioritize seeing Ariel. If Slaanesh knows, then it's possible he can tell mother about it!'

A moment later he heard a knock on the door, "Malekith, are you alright? I heard screaming."

After removing the barricades around his door, Malekith opened it and saw Shen Zoo standing outside with a disturbed look on her face. He didn't answer her question as he walked past her and down the hall. He immediately made his way to the war room table and was swiftly followed by the dragon woman.

"Malekith…what's wrong? You were screaming in your sleep." Shen Zoo asked concerned.

He finally answered her, "Nothing…just a strange dream."

"You have nightmares?" she asked quietly and respectfully so as to not alert anyone within hearing distance.

He glanced back at her and shrugged, "I don't want to talk about it. Let's focus on finalizing the defenses."

Seeing Malekith present in the war room, Sung Lian quickly entered and addressed him, "You must have been tired. You slept past noon."

"I haven't slept since before I encountered that chaos horde," Malekith answered.

Sung Lian nodded, "Well, it's fine. You'll need your strength for the battle tonight."

"King Malekith, there you are! You sure did sleep in today," Xu Feng called out as she ran up and bowed her head.

The Shugengan gave her a bizarre look causing the alchemist to meekly bow her head, "Sorry, my lady."

"Do you need something, alchemist?" Shen Zoo asked.

"Princess, forgive my interruption," the woman bowed to the dragon before looking at Malekith, "I just came to ask King Malekith if he would like to see the skyfleet's setup for the battle."

"I suppose I can look into it. I'm not too familiar with airships, but I have seen thunderbarges from the dwarves. Your Sky-junks remind me of those," Malekith noted.

Xu Feng nodded, "Yes, I believe they were originally inspired by dwarven engineering. Some of the pilots wanted to ask you questions about their placement and failsafe protocols if they get shot down. We also just finished making a warpstone bomb. The engineers want you to see it and pick a crew to deliver it."

"They want me to pick a crew? Why not ask your shugengan or the princess?" Malekith sighed.

"You're in command now, so it's only right that you decide," Sung Lian interjected.

"You have the most military experience here, Malekith. It seems like everyone values your insight. Plus, the warpstone bomb was your idea," Shen Zoo added approvingly as she moved in closer.

Malekith shrugged, "I suppose I can take a detour over there. How do they plan on deploying it?" Malekith asked.

"Aerial drop from one of the sky-junks. Nobody could really decide which crew should carry it and I suggested that you would know best," Xu Feng answered.

Malekith looked over at Shen Zoo, "Is there a reason you can't deploy it, princess?"

"I'll be making sure the skyfleet doesn't get shot down and I'm escorting it to the front whenever this K'daii destroyer shows up. Plus, one of us will have to deal with that lord of change and I won't be very effective if I'm carrying a warpstone bomb. We've had countless volunteers over who should carry the bomb. I'm leaving that up to you," Shen Zoo answered.

"That's a good point. Nobody else should be fighting Ashenwing. That lord of change is too powerful and dangerous for any of these people to fight. You or I will have to be the ones to keep it occupied. Most likely you since I'll have the chaos lords to deal with on the ground…though I'm expecting Ashenwing will want me dead most of all," Malekith noted.

The princess nodded, "If he goes after you, I'll come help. We have some good experience in combatting lords of change now. One should be easier than four."

"You were right about it when we first saw that creature. It's certainly more dangerous than most greater daemons. I don't know how it escaped or got here, but don't expect an easy fight. It seems convinced it will win this battle and says Kairos Fateweaver told it so," Malekith explained.

Sung Lian and Xu Feng looked a bit confused by the insider information Malekith gave to Shen Zoo and looked over at the dragon curiously.

She frowned, "All of those prisoners were extremely powerful and dangerous. I fear that bloodthirster will also be a problem in the future."

"Bloodthirster? What are you two talking about, princess?" Sung Lian seemed anxious to know.

Malekith shook his head, "What happened in the Realms of Chaos is not something any of you should hear. If the princess wants to tell you, then fine…but I won't talk about it."

Shen Zoo looked at the elf seriously, "I won't speak of it if you object, Malekith. The things I saw that wretched place are not meant for mortal eyes or ears."

"Now I'm really curious…" Sung Lian spoke slowly.

"I'll tell you this much, Shugengan…he pulled me out the pits of hell and made a lot of enemies doing so. He had a chance to leave me behind and he chose to stay at the risk of his own life. I'm eternally grateful for what he did, and I trust him wholly after what we experienced," Shen Zoo responded vaguely to the dragon-blooded woman.

Malekith rolled his eyes, "We should really get back on topic."

"Let's go pick a crew, sir! The skyfleet pilots and crews are eager to meet you," Xu Feng interjected excitedly.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Malekith sighed.

"I'll go with you as well if you don't object," Sung Lian added.

"Fine…at least that will make things less awkward. Are you coming as well, princess?" the elf asked.

Shen Zoo shook her head, "I have to send out more missives to Wei-Jin and Po Mei about what's going on. Their forces should be prepared in case the worst happens."

Malekith scoffed at her, "This gate will not fall unless you and I are both dead. We're not going to fail."

"I don't think we will…but it will also alleviate misunderstandings. I want people to know that you're helping us, so they don't attack you when they show up. Plus, my brother Yuan Bo usually visits Po Mei and Wei-Jin. I'm hoping the Jade Dragon is nearby as well. He'll move heaven and earth if knows I'm here," Shen Zoo explained.

"What exactly are you telling them?" Malekith asked skeptically.

"That the Witch King saved me and that we're defending Turtle Gate from a massive chaos horde. The messengers I sent to dragon gate should have just arrived at their destination and if we hold out through the night, their skyfleet will get here in time. Miao Ying is probably just now getting Sung Lian's message at Snake Gate, so she's probably two days out still, unfortunately," Shen Zoo explained.

"Forgive my interruption Shugengan, Princess Shen Zoo, King Malekith," the voice of Captain Zhu sounded as he walked up to the table and bowed his head, "this is Lieutenant Yeung Lan…the commanding officer of the Iron Hail Gunner company we spoke of last night."

Malekith and Shen Zoo turned to look at the woman who bowed her head respectfully and waited for permission to speak. Captain Zhu quickly departed with a bow of his head leaving the woman alone in front of the two royals, the shugengan and the alchemist.

Xu Feng seemed surprised by the lieutenant's arrival but gave the woman a nod of respect. Sung Lian seemed more interested in Malekith's reaction to this woman than the gunner officer herself.

She looked like your typical Cathayan woman with black hair and pale skin. The woman didn't look that formidable in stature, but she had a certain aura of competency and professionalism that indicated she was used to warfare.

"You may speak, Lieutenant Yeung Lan," Shen Zoo announced.

The woman raised her head and looked between them, "Forgive my interruption. I requested reassignment from Captain Zhu so that my company could be placed at the front. He informed me that King Malekith was in charge of that area and that I should ask for his permission. I humbly ask that you allow me and my soldiers to be reassigned there, sir."

"I'm not very familiar with gun regiments and what their rate of fire or killing potential is in a battle like this. I'm expecting most of the frontline to die or run away once the walls are breached. You would be volunteering for your own deaths. How often can you fire those guns?" Malekith asked.

The lieutenant quickly answered him as she stood poised with her hands behind her back, "Ten to thirteen seconds on average. We carry enough ammunition for twenty-two shots per gun, but there are stockpiles under the main plaza where we can replenish our ammunition if and when necessary. About a tenth of my company specializes in using grenade launchers as well and carries about 18 grenades on average. There are two lifts on each side of the central plaza that can also raise us to the upper plaza where the crane gunners have been assigned…so we wouldn't be a liability, sir. We could retreat in time to avoid being overrun if the entire first level of the city is breached. Our weapons are short ranged, and it would be a waste for us not to deliver our worth in the battle early on. Our blunderbusses and grenade launchers can pierce the armour of chaos warriors, but they're quite effective at clearing out waves of infantry. Many of my troops have personal experience repelling marauder horsemen and we are effective at killing them. I assure you that we also know how to utilize our ammo quite effectively in all necessary scenarios."

"They're a renowned regiment, King Malekith. The Fierce Dragons of Nan Gau. A lot of them have repelled Kurgans before. The main regiment is usually at Snake Gate. This is their second company with newer recruits, but all their leaders are veterans of warfare, and I can assure you that they're professionals," Sung Lian spoke up.

Shen Zoo looked at Malekith, "Gunpowder technology has improved vastly since I was last home. They might be very helpful to you."

'Considering how those rocket artillery batteries work, she's not wrong. I should really learn more about engineering while I'm here,' Malekith thought briefly.

"I don't object to your request, lieutenant. You may station your company there then," Malekith agreed.

"Thank you, sir! I promise that my company will live up to our worth and won't disappoint you," she bowed her head gratefully.

"I've seen them in action, King Malekith. They're a very good regiment. Lieutenant Yeung Lan is from Nan Gau so she's about as good as gunners get in Cathay. She's been a part of two…no three battles I think," Xu Feng added with reassurance.

Shen Zoo looked between the lieutenant and Malekith for a moment before speaking, "Is there any particular reason you requested to be placed there, Lieutenant Yeung Lan? More than a logistical reason I mean?"

"Nothing worth mentioning…celestial one." the woman answered promptly.

"Hmm…" Shen Zoo pursed her lips with obvious doubt in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter, princess…I don't care what her reasons are. As long as they don't try to shoot me in the back, I could care less what they do back there. It'll put the militia peasants at ease too." Malekith quickly dispelled the dragon's doubtful gaze.

Xu Feng shook her head, "Sir, they wouldn't do that. Everyone's grateful you're actually helping us."

"They wouldn't shoot you in the back, Malekith. Don't be ridiculous. I think it's fairly obvious to the whole garrison by now that you're on our side," Shen Zoo added.

"I agree…I didn't give you command lightly. It's clear that you know what you're doing, and I'd be a fool to doubt you after hearing Lieutenant Kongyu's testimony about the enemy horde," Sung Lian followed up.

Malekith shrugged, "My own people try to shoot me sometimes. I'd advise you don't do that lieutenant. I'm not easy to kill."

The lieutenant seemed a bit spooked and horrified that Malekith assumed she would try to shoot him. She quickly shook her head, "It's nothing like that, sir…we wouldn't shoot you in the back. I actually wanted to be at the front since I admire the way you've inspired and trained the militia. I want to make sure they're supported…and you as well. I think it's honorable that you're helping Cathay."

"Well, with that settled…would you like to go meet the pilots now, sir?" Xu Feng interjected.

"Let's get this over with. I'll see you later, princess," Malekith said as he exited the war room and the barracks following behind an eager Xu Feng and a calm Sung Lian.

To his disbelief, the gunner lieutenant promptly followed behind them and stayed silent. She maintained a respectable distance, but seemed like she wanted something else as she pursued them out of the barracks.

Upon stepping outside, Xu Feng pointed in the distance, "That lift over there will take us to the high wall and we'll go see the pilots. Most of them should be there working on their airships and stockpiling ammunition right now. The warpstone bomb is up there as well."

"I was up there briefly yesterday. It has a nice view," Malekith noted uncharacteristically causing the alchemist to chuckle.

"You want to go take a ride on a sky-junk? It's pretty fun the first time you do it," she suggested.

Malekith shook his head as they continued walking, "We shouldn't waste time with recreation. I have a lot of things to do today."

"Umm…sir?" Lieutenant Yeung Lan called out, catching their attention. Apparently, she was still following them.

"I didn't know you were following us. You're coming too, Lieutenant Yeung Lan?" Xu Feng asked curiously as she looked back.

Malekith sighed as he stopped walking and glanced back at the woman, "Is there something else you wanted? I granted you your request already."

"I know you're busy sir, but I was hoping…would you like to inspect my company? I understand elves aren't familiar with guns, and I think you might have better ideas about how to utilize my troops if you see them in action," Yeung Lan requested.

"You plan on following my orders?" Malekith asked bewildered.

Yeung Lan gave him an equally perplexed look, "Of course we do. According to Shugengan Sung Lian, the Captain, and Princess Shen Zoo, everyone here is to follow your orders during the battle. They trust you, so why would I object?"

"I'm busy right now helping her," Malekith pointed at Xu Feng.

"We have time, King Malekith. I'll go with you two and we can go see the pilots afterward," Xu Feng suggested.

"How long is this going to take?" Sung Lian asked.

"Half an hour at the most. You're of course free to decline or leave whenever you wish. I just thought it would be good for you to meet the company," Yeung Lan explained.

"I suppose I can observe," Malekith said unenthusiastically.

The lieutenant promptly nodded her head, "I will lead you to them now, sir."

'Why are these people all of a sudden so respectful of me? I mean I know Shen Zoo vouched for my integrity, but that doesn't explain why they're so enthusiastic about trying to get my approval now. They are already treating me like their commander. Maybe they hope that groveling to me will win them favor with the princess? That's undoubtedly why they're acting so friendly and gracious now. She did threaten to strip everyone of their positions for chaining me up. They don't really respect me…it's just fear. I won't be deluded into thinking anything else even if Shen Zoo is. I wasn't born yesterday,' Malekith thought as he unenthusiastically followed the woman to a training area.

As the group walked into the area, Malekith could see various women and men in this gunner company practicing their shots on training dummies and other objects. An older man with a moustache was instructing them, "No, you have to account for your enemies moving, Kai Shu…northmen won't give you that much time to aim. Again!"

A volley of gunshots rang out as a line of troops fired their weapons in practice. Upon seeing Yeung Lan, Sung Lian, Xu Feng, and Malekith entering the area, the moustache man quickly called the troops to cease fire and stand at attention.

"At ease," Yeung Lan spoke authoritatively as the troops all stood in formation with their weapons at their side or their hands behind their backs.

"We've been reassigned to the front…Captain Zhu has placed us under the command of the elf king, Malekith here. Princess Shen Zoo has also assured all of the senior officers that we can trust him and Shugengan Sung Lian has placed him in command of the garrison. Obey his every command as if it were from one of us," the lieutenant announced to her troops as she and Malekith walked to the front.

The mustached instructor bowed his head respectfully as the two of them reached the front of the formation and he quickly stepped to the side. Xu Feng stood back near the instructor and watched curiously at how the iron hail gunners reacted.

The humans seemed oddly fascinated and awestruck by Malekith's presence but simultaneously looked almost nervous and uncertain about the situation. Obviously, most of them were scared of him to some degree since he was a dark elf sorcerer…though Malekith's passive intensity seemed to have that effective on everyone. Even his own black guards were wary of doing something wrong when he was around. He couldn't even imagine what any of these humans were thinking now that they actually knew he was the Witch King of Naggaroth and their temporary commander.

"This is my Iron Hail Gunner company, King Malekith…second company of the Fierce Dragons of Nan Gau regiment." Yeung Lan stated as she looked at the elf, "we'll gladly abide by your instructions if you have any changes you wish to see made."

Malekith said nothing as he walked to their front line and paced in front of the humans. They seemed fairly disciplined as they kept their gazes forward, but he could feel their nervousness from his stoic intensity.

Stopping in front of one woman, Malekith recognized her from when he was chained up in the gallows. The woman clearly looked petrified that Malekith was now in authority over her since she had been one of the humans to insult him. Malekith looked down at her, "It's strange how the world works isn't it? Some would even say it's unfair. I'd have to agree with that myself. I'll bet you didn't picture this yesterday…I certainly didn't."

The woman stayed deathly silent but was obviously horrified by Malekith singling her out and the fact that he recognized her.

"What was it you said while I was chained up? I deserve to die? Maybe I do, and maybe your wish will come true soon. Though you're far more likely to die tonight than I am. Life isn't fair, girl. Nobody knows that better than I." Malekith said with cruel apathy.

The woman's eyes were wracked with shame and embarrassment, but she kept her bearing and refused to look at him. Sung Lian seemed a bit concerned when she realized that Malekith was in a bad mood but stayed silent.

"Have you ever killed anyone before, girl?" Malekith asked with merciless intensity.

"N-no, sir!" the woman answered fearfully as she kept her gaze affixed forward.

"I can tell. I could tell when you came by to insult me yesterday. You see the world from the perspective of a bitter child. I only hope you can put aside your feelings of resentment and do your duty for the greater good. Your shugengan has." he said coldly before walking down the line.

"Since you're all going to be on the front, you will be in the thick of the fighting. I won't lie to you or give you false hope. Many of you will probably die if you hesitate at all. For that it's important to remember one thing. Do not allow yourselves to feel for your enemy. They will not feel for you. They want to rape and kill you. They want to butcher your families and despoil your kingdom. They hate civilization and all the world. I've fought these chaos worshippers for millennia. They are not human…they are monsters. Even my people, known for our malicious cruelty, despise these northmen savages. I expect you to slaughter these animals without pity or mercy! Resume your training…I wish to see what you're actually capable of doing!" Malekith announced before stepping to the side next to Xu Feng and observing them.

To say the company looked intimidated was an understatement. Some were even shaking from Malekith's voice, but the lieutenant and their instructor quickly went about ordering them to go through the motions of their formations and displayed their capabilities in the following minutes.

Xu Feng looked at Malekith nervously, "Are you alright, your highness? You seem angry."

"I'm fine," he dismissed her concerns immediately.

"Don't take it to heart what anyone said yesterday. Everyone was just scared, and they didn't know what to think," Xu Feng pointed out.

Malekith didn't acknowledge her comment as he watched the humans practice in silence. While their tactical progressions did seem sophisticated and practical by human standards, he found their firing patterns to be flawed and their formation impractical for what they were about to fight.

He decided to intervene after they finished the display and walked to the front again, "Why are you all firing at the same time? How are you going to suppress the tide fighting like this?"

"Sir?" Yeung Lan seemed confused by Malekith's question.

"This would be far more useful if you fired in rows. You have to think about a battle of attrition. It's the same thing I taught the peasant militia when I showed them an elven maniple formation. They stab in successive rows with their spears to keep a constant motion of attack going. Don't all shoot at once. You want a constant rate of fire to keep your enemy suppressed and so that you're not vulnerable during reloading periods. The front two rows should also kneel down so the back rows can aim better. Grenade launchers should also disperse more and split into two groups," Malekith stated.

The instructor looked at Yeung Lan uncertainly, but the lieutenant didn't seem to object to Malekith's logic, "Do as he commands."

After a few more minutes of readjustment, the company started shooting the way Malekith wanted them to. The humans seemed oddly enthusiastic about his suggestion as they quickly picked up on the new tactic.

The instructor looked slightly discouraged by Malekith throwing away his formation, but the troops didn't seem to mind it…that or they were too afraid to object to anything Malekith said. They seemed even more obedient than normal since the Shugengan standing nearby. This continued on for another few minutes and morale began to skyrocket among the gunners as they kept on practicing.

Malekith took this time to walk over to Yeung Lan and the instructor. Xu Feng quickly shadowed behind him and spoke up, "What do you think, lieutenant?"

Yeung Lan watched the gunners practice and nodded, "I think it's very practical and much more flexible in a long battle of attrition. This kind of tactic is dangerous if someone fails though. It relies on everyone doing their job and leaves little room for error."

Malekith noticed the mustached instructor frown and quickly spoke up, "They should use this formation primarily, but the one you had them originally doing will also be useful if the enemy lines get dense or too close. This isn't meant to replace your tactics and formations altogether. It's just far more useful for dealing with the enemy in waves. I would also suggest that in your second formation you have the front half fire and move back to reload while the back steps froward in a constant rotation. It's a dwarven tactic."

The instructor seemed relieved that Malekith didn't wholly dismiss his tactics and nodded, "That's a great idea. Of course, sir. I am relieved to see that you still find value in our traditional formation. We will use the appropriate ones when necessary. I'll start drawing up scenarios and drill them today on what to do for certain encounters. Do you have any word commands you would like to name the formations in case you decide you want them in a particular one? Our primary formation is dragon formation."

"For the one I taught, use 'turtle' since it slows and suppresses the enemy. The rotational one we'll call 'snake'." Malekith stated.

The instructor's eyes lit up with approval upon hearing Malekith name the newer formations after the Bastion gate garrisons, "I like that, sir. With your permission I might actually introduce these to Nan Gau if we survive. I believe the storm dragon herself would find those names appropriate for the purposes of these newer formations."

"How is it that you know more about gun formations than they do?" Sung Lian asked surprised.

Malekith shrugged, "I just taught them what dwarves do. I'm surprised your people didn't do this before. Dwarves have used similar tactics for two millennia with their blackpowder regiments."

"They have never offered to teach us their ways before. Our primary formations are 'dragon', 'crane' and 'tiger'. Crane formation is defensive and only works with shields or melee support. It is typically used by the crane gunners, but we can do it as well for mass suppression. Tiger formation was the second one we showed you. It's best for killing cavalry and flankers," the instructor replied.

"I'll remember those and call them out if I want you to change tactics. Otherwise, you can use your judgement on whatever you find appropriate. I'd highly recommend you use turtle formation primarily though. I've seen dwarves hold off hordes of greenskins with it and even druchii raids," Malekith nodded.

"Of course, sir. Thank you for your insight and your time," the man bowed his head.

"Give them a break," Yeung Lan told the instructor. He quickly went off to address the troops leaving Malekith alone with Xu Feng, Sung Lian, and the lieutenant.

She sighed heavily, "Cathay is very traditional, but we're not so vain as to dismiss the tactics of other nations. Dwarves are masters of gun warfare, so we'd be fools to not use this. I appreciate you teaching my company what you did, sir. I apologize for Dai Lin insulting you the other day. I was not aware that any of my troops were involved in that."

"What's her story anyways? Where's she from?" Xu Feng spoke up with curiosity.

Yeung Lan frowned, "She's from Beichai in the eastern provinces. She used to be a dragon fleet marine, I think. Please don't take offense to her words, King Malekith…I believe her father was abducted by dark elf slavers when she was a child. Beichai suffered a horrible attack about twenty years ago and nearly burned to the ground. She probably just took out her grief on you. It will take time for her to come around, but most of us are glad to have your help here."

"We spoke of this briefly, last night. Beichai was almost wiped off the map. It was attacked by two of your fortress ships a little over twenty years ago. It's well known for being the worst dark elf attack in centuries and was so atrocious that word of it got across the entire kingdom. The Sea Dragon swore to avenge the city and the empress chastised her," Sung Lian explained.

"That's not Malekith's fault though. He's been gone from his kingdom for two centuries and said he hasn't authorized any raids on Cathay. Plus, he's going to end the raids. Dai Lin should be grateful that the dark elf king is friends with Princess Shen Zoo and wants to help us," Xu Feng defended him for some bizarre reason.

"I know that Xu Feng…but the regular troops here don't understand the situation. I was merely explaining the situation to King Malekith," Sung Lian replied sternly.

'I wonder which black arks attacked that city?' Malekith pondered.

"Lady Sung Lian is right. We haven't had the misfortune of growing up in fear of dark elf raiders. If I had to guess, most of the people that were rude to you, King Malekith, were from the eastern provinces. The only real threats they deal with are dark elves and Jade Sea pirates. I know it's not my place to say, but please try to understand their feelings. I'm certain things will change once you've proven to the masses that you're our ally. I will talk with Dai Lin later and help her work through these issues. She should know better," Yeung Lan replied.

"It doesn't matter to me. Just so long as she doesn't try to shoot me in the back. I'm not here to win approval. I'm here to help Shen Zoo and kill a chaos army so I can go home," Malekith said carelessly.

After being given their break by the instructor, Malekith saw the gunners beginning to talk and mingle. With his keen elven hearing, Malekith indirectly eavesdropped on some of their conversations. Most were boring drab about home, tactics, or the enemies they would be fighting. Some were talking about Malekith and how interesting or scary they thought he was. The conversation between Dai Lin and a woman next to her was the most notable.

Dai Lin seemed shaken still and was talking to her friend about the situation, "I just don't understand why he's here. Can we really trust him?"

"I heard he was going to end the raids though. Someone said princess Shen Zoo convinced him to," the woman pointed out.

"As if that will bring my father back…I hope that monster dies tonight. How can all of our leaders just trust him so blindly? Do you have any idea how evil dark elves are? What they do to humans?" she spat hatefully.

Malekith ignored Xu Feng and Yeung Lan's conversation about crane gunners as he continued to listen in without looking. Sung Lian seemed to notice this and started doing the same.

"Well, he has been helping everyone. The entire militia has had nothing but good things to say about him, and c'mon those formations he showed us were great, weren't they? The first company is going to be so impressed when they see us using dwarf formations." her friend tried to be optimistic.

Dai Lin sighed, "The lieutenant is out of her mind putting us under his command. He's going to get us slaughtered. Don't believe this nonsense Kai Shu. Dark elves are even worse than northmen…and if that's really their king, do you seriously think he cares about our lives? Honestly, what is the shugengan thinking?"

"We're not going to die, Dai Lin. We have a dragon here, so we'll be fine," her friend said assuredly.

"That's the only good thing about any of this. Let's talk about something else. You want to practice with grenade launchers later? I just got qualified to use one finally." Dai Lin decided to change the subject.

"Sure!" her friend Kai Shu bellowed, "I'm getting pretty good at it. I'll bet you fifty jade yuans that I get more kills than you tonight. I might even get promoted. I'll make sure to save you some glory too though."

"It's our first real battle, Kai Shu…I don't think you're taking this seriously enough. We're fighting chaos warriors too…not just Hung and Kurgans," Dai Lin shook her head.

Hearing this conversation caused Malekith to tense up. He was completely tuning out Xu Feng and Yeung Lan as he turned to actually look over at the girl Kai Shu.

"So, with the lifts there, we can load about ten at a time on each side. What do you think, sir? Are there any other suggestions you have? I'd also like to ask what you think about our-" Yeung Lan didn't get to finish her statement as Malekith walked towards the mingling humans on their break.

He found their celebratory eagerness concerning and quickly caught their attention as he approached Kai Shu. Dai Lin looked horrified at seeing Malekith coming over to single her out again. Her demeanor relaxed slightly when she saw that Malekith was staring at Kai Shu and not her.

"Get up, now!" the elf said coldly to the human.

Everyone immediately went silent as the woman rose to her feet and snapped to attention with fear. He then shoved her gun against her chest before dragging the woman to the front and stepping away.

"You're making bets and bragging about glory?! Do think this is some kind of game?! Are you ready for battle, girl?! Prove it!" Malekith demanded darkly as he put his helmet on and glared at her.

The sight of Malekith wearing his helmet was intimidating to the humans as the elf spoke again in a metallic voice, "Let's see how well you can follow orders under duress. Shoot me!"

"W-what?! I-Is this a test?" the woman stuttered uncertainly as she looked around at everyone.

Her friend, Dai Lin, stood up and watched with horror when it became apparent that Malekith had overhead their entire conversation. Many others went deathly silent as well when that became obvious and were likely concerned about things they also said.

"I'm ordering you to shoot me! It should be easy since I'm a druchii! I'm about as heavily armoured as chaos warriors as well, so let's practice!" the witch king yelled at Kai Shu with callous rage.

She visibly shook from his tone and slowly raised her gun up as her eyes went wide. Yeung Lan, Xu Feng, and the instructor all looked too terrified to intervene and the rest of the gunners were staring with anxiousness as they tried to understand what was happening.

Sung Lian was oddly calm about the situation and seemed unfazed as she crossed her arms and observed with curious interest.

Malekith's hands began to crackle with magic as he shot a bolt of lightning right past Kai Shu's head hitting a building behind her. This caused all the other humans to back away and duck low as they watched with disbelief and gasped loudly.

"Hesitate and you die! SHOOT!" Malekith shouted again as he shot another bolt of dark lightning at her feet causing the woman to jump back terrified. She began to shake from the pressure as Malekith released a dark miasma of shadow magic.

The area visibly darkened a bit as frost started to spread away from Malekith's feet and encroach closer towards the gunner. It slowed down as it got closer, but it was enough to cause most of the company to back away with fear.

The woman's shaking went to full scale trembling upon seeing this and she actually began to cry, "I…I can't-"

Malekith's hands began to crackle with black lightning as he stared her down mercilessly. His armour then lit up with a magical glow as he charged up a stronger spell and held his hand up, "You can't follow orders or you're too afraid?! SHOOT ME OR I'm GOING TO KILL YOU! This isn't a game!"

The look he was giving her must have been terrifying, because the gunner was completely frozen with fear. Unsurprisingly, she folded to the pressure as she stepped back, lowering her gun. She was shaking her head with fearful uncertainty as she desperately looked around for someone to intervene. Her eyes settled on Sung Lian but to her horror, the Shugengan was staring at her emotionlessly.

"Nobody is going to save you…stop looking around! In the midst of battle, you have to be able to save yourself! What are you going to do? Shoot or die?" Malekith hissed cruelly as the magical lightning charging in his hand began to expand.

"Please don't kill me…I'm sorry!" was all she could say as she dropped to her knees and lowered her head.

"Do you know how many people have begged me not to kill them? Who are you sorry for? Me or yourself?! Your enemy does not care about your feelings or your weakness and neither do I! Northmen will butcher you without mercy if you're lucky and make you a plaything if you're not! If you don't fire that gun, you're going to die! Don't think I won't kill you to make a point, girl!" Malekith said with dark intensity.

"Sir, is this-" Yeung Lan tried to speak up, but was immediately silenced.

"Order her to shoot me, or I'm going to kill her. You have five seconds," Malekith interrupted the lieutenant without looking at her.

Yeung Lan immediately went quiet and looked at the petrified gunner. She spoke disbelievingly, "You would really kill her?"

"Yes," Malekith said callously and without hesitation.

"Do as he commands, girl," Sung Lian spoke up finally.

"Five, four, three, two," Malekith started counting down as his spell got bigger in his outstretched hand.

The woman quickly raised her gun again when it became apparent Malekith actually was going to kill her and shook with fear as she moved her hand to the trigger and tried to shoot. Her gun let out a loud bang as the slugs whizzed past Malekith's side. She missed by a wide margin and actually dropped her gun in the act as Malekith shot his spell over her head and into the wall behind her.

As she desperately picked up her gun again, Malekith walked towards her and ripped the gun out of her hand immediately and stared down at the petrified woman, "Now you're dead. Your panic and hesitation not only got you killed, but it created a liability to everyone here. Missile troops are extremely vulnerable to blind spots. If one of you fails, all of you will fail! All it takes is one lapse in judgement…one weak link and the chain breaks! You want to talk about glory and promotions…but the only thing you should be thinking about is keeping yourself and your comrades alive! I don't expect you people to fight and die for me. I know you hate me…but you're only going to get your company killed by being an undisciplined coward! Kill or die…make your choice! If you can't, then someone else will make that choice for you! Princess Shen Zoo and I will be battling the enemy leaders and we won't be able to save all of you. The Shugengan and her longma riders will have to battle doom knights and artillery. Take this seriously, girl. I've been in thousands of battles, and none of them were funny or worth making bets over! You're betting your life tonight…"

"Y-yes sir…I'm sorry. It won't happen ever again," the woman responded meekly as she looked down in shame with a tear-stained face.

Sung Lian walked next to Malekith and looked up at him before speaking to Kai Shu, "If this battle is going to be anything like the one at Snake Gate a few centuries ago, we'll probably suffer a lot of casualties. The two-headed prophet of Chi'an Chi nearly destroyed the wall and would have were it not for the storm dragon and the sacrifice of thousands of people. My grandfather Sung Hai was the warden of Snake Gate at the time…he was a distinguished shugengan and commander, but he died in that battle. This one will be even worse than that because the enemy horde has artillery from the chaos dwarves and warmachines I've never even heard of before. Do you have any idea how unprepared we would be if King Malekith hadn't brought Princess Shen Zoo here and warned us? This isn't his fight…but he's here helping us at the risk of his own life. He rescued the Emperor's youngest daughter from Chi'an Chi and didn't even want a reward for it. He's taking valuable time out of his day and mine to ensure you don't die tonight. Heed his words for I agree with everything he just said and did. You clearly lack discipline, and you clearly don't understand just how dangerous chaos is. Twenty generations of my family have lived and died protecting the bastion. It is honor to be garrisoned here...so treat it as such."

"Forgive me, my lady…I'm so sorry." Kai Shu replied meekly.

For whatever reason, Malekith felt a slight amount of remorse for being cruel to the young human and sighed, "Don't be sorry…just learn from this. I actually was about to kill you. I killed an elf archer under my command once the same way. He was too afraid to fire his bow. At least you shot. I'd say you're braver than he was. You might actually survive tonight if you take this to heart. The only reason any of you should panic is if both Shen Zoo and I are dead."

Kai Shu seemed shocked by Malekith's unexpected assurance after just putting her through a traumatic experience. She kept her head bowed until Malekith turned his gaze to her friend Dai Lin.

"As for you…" Malekith began threateningly as he walked up to the petrified woman, "I don't care what you said, but I am curious about something."

Dai Lin looked mortified as Sung Lian walked up next to Malekith and spoke to them fearfully, "I'm sorry…sir. What do you want to ask me?"

"Your lieutenant tells me that you're from Beichai and you're a survivor of two black arks ravaging the city. I've never heard of that place, and I don't know who was involved in it…but I can probably identify which arks it was if you have any details about them," Malekith stated.

"I…" Dai Lin looked like she was having trouble speaking as everyone stared at her with curious empathy. No doubt Malekith's piercing gaze was also hindering her ability to answer.

"He asked you a question, girl. Answer him," Sung Lian broke the tense silence with a stern voice.

"Yes, my lady…those ships are called black arks?" Dai Lin asked.

Malekith nodded, "Yes…we have dozens of them in Naggaroth. I know them all and who was last in command of each one. Describe the ones that attacked your home…I'm curious who has been out here sacking Cathay while I've been away for two centuries. I'll probably have to deal with them to appease your dragon emperor."

"One of them had a gold kraken on its hull. It's the same one the sea dragon has been hunting for centuries," Dai Lin began.

"The Blessed Dread…led by Lokhir Fellheart. His grandmother Laithikir originally found the way to sail out here through the boiling sea and was the first to raid Cathay and Ind. That ark and its fleet belongs to the Fellheart Clan. They are the greatest corsair family in Naggaroth. What did the other one look like?" Malekith asked.

"I…don't remember everything. I was just a child at the time. It…I think it had a green harpy banner and I saw the leader of that one. It was a scary looking lady elf. She had black and white hair split down the middle of her head and purple eyes. Her ship had a giant green snake on its hull…I remember that much," Dai Lin answered timidly.

Malekith gawked at her disbelievingly, "That sounds like the Emerald Maw. It usually spends most of its time collecting sea dragons and helldrakes in the boiling sea west of Naggaroth to sell to the great cities. It belongs to the Snaketongue Clan in Karond Kar. The person you're describing is undoubtedly Kallian Snaketongue who is actually the younger sister of admiral Kalak Snaketongue. They hate the Fellheart Clan…how odd that they're working together now."

"She killed the magistrate. My family was fairly wealthy, and we lived near the city center. I saw it from my own window before they abducted my father," Dai Lin added.

'I need to find out how Lokhir got Kalak and Kallian to work with him…if he can already rally the other admirals to follow him, then I'll have a rough time securing the allegiance of the fleets.' Malekith thought.

"How are you going to deal with them, your highness? They probably won't like you ending the raids." Sung Lian asked.

"It depends on how they react to my new changes. Kallian is a fearful girl and won't risk challenging me, but her brother has always been belligerent. As for Lokhir…he will rebel most likely. I planned on killing him anyways. I need to get back to Naggaroth soon so I can start killing these disloyal dissenters. I'm amazed they can raid at all considering Naggaroth is probably in a civil war with me being gone for two centuries," Malekith shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"You're going to…kill them?" Dai Lin asked disbelievingly.

"Yes...I kill any druchii who doesn't obey me, and they're not going to like me ending their raids out here." Malekith said before walking away from the girl.

"Well…as interesting as that was to learn, we shouldn't indulge in more distractions. Are you content with the lieutenant's gunners now, King Malekith?" Sung Lian changed the subject.

After an ominous silence, he turned towards Yeung Lan, "Your troops not ready for tonight…are you sure you want these people to die on the frontline, Lieutenant Yeung Lan? Anyone who's going to be near me probably will."

"We'll remedy that at once, sir! We have to be ready for this battle for the sake of everyone here." Yeung Lan announced.

It was clear that all of the humans thought Malekith was cruel and crazy now, but he actually preferred it that way. He had to do something to motivate them, and a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement had always been more effective than normal encouragement in his experience. They would hate him for it, but it would save some of their lives. He also hoped it would deter more humans from wanting to be friendly with him if they realized he was violent and insane.

Malekith looked over the stunned humans and shook his head, "These troops are not to blame for their current readiness. Soldiers are always a reflection of their leaders…and they always emulate what they see. With that said, let's see if you can do it, lieutenant."

"What?" the woman seemed surprised by this turn of events as Malekith handed her the gun.

"I want you to shoot me…" he said coldly.

"Sir, I don't wish to injure you before the battle…" she tried to be reasonable.

"As if you even could. If you can't do it, how do you expect them to? I won't ask again…prove to these people that you're ready, and they'll follow. Otherwise, I'm wasting my time here." Malekith said as he backed away and stood in front of her.

Yeung Lan raised the gun up and aimed it at him, "This is crazy, sir…"

"No, it's necessary. FIRE," he commanded.

The lieutenant then fired her gun at Malekith's chest. It actually hurt him a bit as the bullet slugs pelted his armour. Fortunately, it did not penetrate through, but it was certainly unpleasant and would leave bruises and light dents. Enough of those shots could definitely do some serious damage to him and noticeably dent his armour. The bigger ones the crane gunners used might have even been able to pierce it.

The Iron Hail gunner company seemed stunned that the bullets didn't do much to Malekith as they all went wide-eyed with shock.

"A-are you alright, sir!?" the lieutenant asked concerned.

"I'm fine," he said without showing any weakness or reaction of pain. He then removed his helmet freeing up his long black hair.

Xu Feng ran up and looked at his armour with amazement, "Your armour stopped a gunshot! What's this made out of...gromril?"

Malekith ignored her as he looked over the stunned gunners, "I'm counting on the militia to fall back after the wall is breached and hold the inner roads into the second level of the city. I'll hold the inevitable breach at the center gate by myself. Your job is simply to kill anyone who gets past me and to cover the militia. I'm not asking any of you to die for me…just don't be a liability."

"Sir…you're really going to hold the breach by yourself?! That's suicide!" Yeung Lan shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't see why that concerns any of you. I'm less likely to die tonight than you are. Get them battle ready, lieutenant. I have other areas to attend to. At least you have the resolve to lead these people. I'm counting on you to fix this rabble," Malekith said carelessly as he began to walk away.

Yeung Lan swiftly ordered her troops to attention as the elf left, and she bowed her head, "Thank you sir…we won't disappoint you tonight!"

"This isn't about me. Don't disappoint them." was all Malekith replied and pointed at her troops before leaving.

Sung Lian said nothing as she departed alongside him, but the shugengan seemed to be looking at him strangely and almost approvingly.

Xu Feng quickly followed behind them and didn't say a word. She bowed her head to Yeung Lan before leaving and walked in silence next to the elf and shugengan for about a minute.

Once they were out of range, Xu Feng spoke up, "They might not realize it now, but that probably saved a lot of their lives. That's something I'd expect the Fire Dragon to do. Jin Tao would have loved to see that."

Malekith turned towards her baffled that the alchemist approved of his actions, "I'm surprised you aren't appalled by what I did back there."

"It's a bit cruel, but you're completely right. War and battle aren't things people should take lightly. I think the fact that you did that is proof that you do care about their lives. If you didn't, you would have ignored their behavior and let them die tonight," Sung Lian interjected.

"I think you even made Dai Lin feel better by telling her you were going to kill those dark elves that attacked Beichai. That was really great of you to do for her even after all those rude things she said." Xu Feng added.

"Stop doing that…" Malekith sighed.

"Doing what, sir?" Xu Feng asked.

"Stop trying to act like you admire and understand me. I am not your friend, and I don't really care about you people or what you think of me," Malekith replied with annoyance. It was completely frustrating to him that Xu Feng seemed wholly committed to gaining his approval.

"I refuse to believe that sir. If you didn't care, then you wouldn't be helping us. You wouldn't be choosing to defend the frontline by yourself practically. Even if you're only doing this for the princess, it means a lot to me and many others here. I wouldn't have the audacity to declare us friends without your approval, but I do like you. You're the most interesting person I've ever met, and I've met the Iron Dragon once before," Xu Feng pointed out.

Sung Lian frowned slightly at Malekith's rejection of Xu Feng's reverence of him. She shook her head, "I think Xu Feng has a point. You're nothing like I imagined the Witch King to be. You're unusually empathetic, patient, and helpful to the people here. I mean between the peasants, Lieutenant Kongyu, and even those gunners back there I'd say you care about their lives. It's admirable to see that in any foreigner…let alone a dark elf. I don't know if it was the princess or some kind of change of heart, but I'm glad I got to meet you and see your true colors for myself."

"Fine, believe what you want. I don't care. Just take me to the skyfleet pilots so I can pick out a crew to drop the bomb," Malekith rolled his eyes.

"As you say, your highness," the alchemist nodded.

'I can't wait to get out of this place and away from all these humans. What's that old saying Alandrian always said? No good deed goes unpunished. I should be in Naggaroth right now killing dreadlords. Instead, I'm training humans how to fight. Well, it could be worse…I could still be in the Realms of Chaos I suppose. I'll take this any day over Slaanesh's realm.' Malekith thought.

As they progressed along to a lift, Sung Lian glanced at Malekith curiously, "So…I was wondering about something. Why did you insist on the lieutenant shooting you? I mean you already made your point after scaring that gunner girl half to death."

Malekith glanced down at her as they kept walking, "It's to make them respect their lieutenant even after calling out her failure to discipline them. Plus, it also raised their battle morale by making them fear me more. They're less likely to panic if they think I'm unkillable and they will obey my orders now that they see me that way. It works extremely well on humans. Druchii masters often give the illusion that they are invincible to the slaves. Nobody wants to disobey or flee since even if they survive, they think their invincible master or leader will punish them."

"That comparison is in poor taste…but I understand what you're saying." Sung Lian replied.

"It's how druchii get slaves to obey them but it's also how I get them to obey me. I'm not all-powerful or invincible in battle, but I give the illusion that I am, and my troops almost never rout unless I get defeated. Also, by shining a light on how much I doubt their competency, they will work harder to prove me wrong out of spite. Negative reinforcement is the best way to fix disciplinary issues. Coddling them and lying will only make them a liability. Unlike the militia peasants, those gunners are trained soldiers and I hold them to a much higher standard than civilians," Malekith explained.

"Well, I doubt they'll try to shoot you after seeing that," Xu Feng pointed out.

After a short trip to the top of the high wall, Malekith found himself quickly approaching the main port for all the skyfleet ships. He could see various engineers, workers, and pilots frantically working on various tasks as his group passed by.

Many turned to look at them wide-eyed and without any subtlety. Some even snapped to attention when they saw Sung Lian was there, but everyone was looking at him. Malekith found their reactions strange since he was under the impression that they were expecting him.

He mentally braced himself for whatever this would turn into as they followed Xu Feng to a dock area filled with sky-junks. The airships were being loaded with munitions and a magistrate seemed to be directing the workflow.

"Lord Cheung, I'm back," Xu Feng announced as she bowed to the magistrate respectfully and waited for him to turn.

The man seemed busy and didn't acknowledge her right away as he kept issuing orders to people while reading over a checklist. His attention immediately snapped towards Xu Feng after seeing all the people in the dock stop and stare. Many also snapped to attention.

"It's him…the elf!" one of the pilots remarked with anxious excitement.

Magistrate Cheung looked at Sung Lian and Malekith cautiously as he handed his checklist scroll to a nearby attendant and walked towards them. He seemed a bit skittish as Malekith and his escort walked forward.

After a quick bow to Sung Lian, the man looked up at the stoic towering Malekith with noticeable concern. It was clear that this man was extremely wary of him. Though Malekith could hardly blame him considering the reputation he had.

"Xu Feng told me that you finished the warpstone bomb," Malekith broke the extremely tense silence as he looked around at the gawking humans.

"Y-yes…we did. Forgive me, but I don't exactly know how I should address you, lord elf. I don't want to offend your foreign customs," Magistrate Cheung began nervously.

"He's a king…so King Malekith or 'your highness'. A lot of the troops just call him 'sir' now," Sung Lian answered the man.

"Ah…yes of course. Lady Sung Lian said that she put you in command here and the princess approved it. Do you have a preference, King Malekith?" the man followed up meekly.

Malekith stared at him blankly, "We're well past courtesy at this point…and I already dislike you. So don't bother groveling to me now that I'm in authority. Just call me whatever you want so we can get on with this. I don't need your validation or fake sincerity."

"I deeply apologize, your highness…my actions were shameful, and you are the honored guest of the Light Dragon. I will atone for my mistake, and I offer my sincerest regrets for any misunderstandings previously conveyed," the man bowed his head with notable fear.

"So…the warpstone bomb," Malekith tried to get the conversation back on track as he ignored the man's apology.

"O-of course, your highness…this way," the man turned and led Malekith along.

He was visibly sweating and seemed to be under the impression that Malekith might randomly snap and kill him if he said or did anything wrong. The fact that Sung Lian was there too probably only amplified his anxiety.

Malekith found it annoying, but he could somewhat understand why the man was so terrified. Everyone in this garrison KNEW that he was the king of the dark elves now and that was probably daunting to simple humans. It certainly terrified your average elf. No doubt they were also probably intimidated due to Sung Lian giving him free rein to order them around.

"Here it is, your highness," the magistrate said timidly as he led the group to a table where several engineers and workers were finishing up the bomb's outer clamp.

"It's smaller than I expected it to be," Malekith stated unimpressed as he saw the bomb was about twice the size of a dragon egg.

"This is just the warpstone bomb itself. We intend to deploy it attached to a larger payload. It should amplify the explosion with additional munitions attached. This is all we had to work with. Most of our warpstone caches are further west," the man explained.

"Hmph…it should be fine, but dropping this thing will be a nightmare tactically," Sung Lian noted.

"King Malekith is here to pick the crew to drop it," Xu Feng interjected.

Lord Cheung quickly nodded his head, "Ah yes…we've had trouble selecting a crew. Many have volunteered, but Captain Zhu insisted that this is a mission of utmost importance to the battle and such a burden shouldn't be given lightly to anyone that you or the Shugengan disapproved of. After an extensive deliberation we narrowed it down to five crews."

"Call your pilots and their crews at once. We'll see who's worthy enough to fulfill the task," Sung Lian commanded.

The magistrate quickly went about calling an assembly for all the pilots who were mostly there already and within minutes, everyone was lined up in formation with their respective crews. Most had matching uniforms and iconography to their own sky-junks.

"These are all of the most competent crews that volunteered for the mission, your highness," Lord Cheung announced as he walked over the front and introduced them, "these crews are also the best in the garrison. Introduce yourselves."

One by one, the captains of each sky-junk introduced themselves and their crews. They all had unique names and were all specialists in certain kinds of aerial warfare.

Sung Lian looked at Malekith briefly as the crews stood silently with anticipation after their introductions were finished, "All of these pilots were trained in Nan Gau and they all have munitions officers who understand how to deploy the warpstone bomb. What are you looking for exactly?"

Malekith didn't answer her as he stepped forward and began to walk down the front. He made eye contact with the humans getting a closer look at their reactions as he examined the crews closely.

He stopped in front of the fourth group and looked at the pilot. She was female and he remembered her name was Ren Chan. She looked to be past maidenhood but younger than middle aged and had the most stoic reaction of all the humans there.

The woman stared at him calmly as Malekith looked down at her briefly. Without any explanation, he conjured up purple flames in the palm of his hand. The pilot seemed confused by his actions but maintained eye contact as she waited for him to say or do something.

Finally, Malekith spoke, "Take my hand."

Everyone found this order to be bizarre and unusual as Malekith's extended hand was on fire. Lord Cheung looked too scared to say anything and Sung Lian was watching with fascination at Malekith's unconventional methods.

Ren Chan seemed to understand the purpose of his command as she reached out and stuck her hand into his burning palm. She immediately grimaced in pain and let out an agonizing whimper as Malekith gripped her hand and began to burn it.

Despite her best efforts to endure the pain, the woman soon began to writhe and scream from her hand being burned from Malekith's.

As she flailed in his grip, Malekith spoke calmly, "The blue fires of Chi'an Chi hurt a lot more than this…"

"ARGHH!" the woman screamed as Malekith refused to let go of her hand.

Before long, her hand had turned completely black and charred and she stopped screaming once the nerves had been completely burned away.

Fortunately for her, Malekith kept the flames from spreading up her arm, but the woman's hand was completely smoldering. The woman took deep breaths and finally calmed herself after the pain went away and looked down at her hand in horror as Malekith let go of it.

Everyone present looked baffled and horrified that Malekith would do something so cruel to this woman as she stared at her shaking charred hand with grim despair.

"You're probably the toughest human I've met here. I didn't think you'd actually endure it the whole way. Even most druchii don't. You're certainly the right person for this job," Malekith finally broke the uncomfortable silence causing everyone to gawk at him in disbelief.

Ren Chan nodded her head as she looked up at Malekith fearfully, "Yes sir…thank you."

He then grabbed her wrist to stabilize her shaking and with his other hand, began to start healing the woman's burns. She watched with fascination and shock as Malekith's hand glowed a whitish blue color and healed hers.

The charred skin flaked away as her burns began to disappear and her hand returned to normal within about a minute. She seemed amazed by the sight of her hand being healed, but not nearly as much as Xu Feng, who hadn't seen Malekith use Qhaysh yet.

The alchemist walked up and gasped with wonder at the sight of it, "Is that…Qhaysh? Is that what you did to heal Lieutenant Kongyu? It looks like Yang magic."

Once he was finished, Malekith spoke again, "The pain won't go away for a while, but your hand is fine now. I trust you have the willpower to deliver this bomb,"

Ren Chan seemed too shocked to say anything and could only bow her head in silence as Sung Lian walked up next to Malekith, "Why did you pick her to do that to? Ren Chan is an excellent pilot, but her crew is the least experienced out of the five crews here."

"You wanted my opinion…this crew is the one I trust the most to get this task done. Does anyone object?" Malekith announced.

Nobody did and after a brief silence, Lord Cheung skittishly spoke up, "The 'Sun Rain' and and its crew have been selected to deliver the warpstone bomb. That means the rest of you are tasked with protecting them. Workers get the bomb loaded at once. You are dismissed."

After being released, the pilots and their crews all began to mingle and converse about what they just witnessed. Many came up to congratulate Ren Chan or pay her respects as she and her crew interacted.

Xu Feng was quick to go over and offer her congratulations to the woman as well, "I had a feeling, King Malekith was going to pick you, Ren Chan."

"Why did he pick me?" the woman asked the alchemist uncertainly as she watched the elf and Shugengan Sung Lian discuss skyfleet formations further away with Lord Cheung.

The alchemist glanced over at them before looking back at Ren Chan, "You should ask him."

"I'd rather not. Is he always that intense? I didn't think he was actually going to burn my hand." Ren Chan asked her friend.

"He made Lieutenant Yeung Lan shoot him in front of her gunners earlier…so I'd say so. Don't let it bother you too much. At least he healed you. From what I've seen, he's actually nice once you get to know him a bit. Plus, he seems to respect you for enduring it and now you get to be the hero of the skyfleet," Xu Feng pointed out with a chuckle.

"I heard some people talking about how he was a Xian…I think I actually believe it now. It's truly amazing that he rescued the Light Dragon. I hope I can live to see what comes of this. He certainly has my vouch of support if he's really going to end the raids and meet the Emperor. I always expected that Cathay would one day ally with high elves…not dark elves. We live in a strange time." Ren Chan noted.

A moment later, Malekith walked over and looked at Xu Feng, "Where is Jin Tao at? He and I need to finalize preparations with the militia now."

"Oh, I think he's training his magic down at the central plaza. Cao Han is there too," Xu Feng answered.

"Good, I'll go make sure they're ready," Malekith nodded as he turned to leave.

"Umm, sir..." Xu Feng caught his attention again, "Ren Chan had some questions to ask you."

Malekith looked at the alchemist unfazed as she pushed the pilot forward and sighed, "What is it?"

"The failsafe protocols...we haven't gone over those yet," Xu Feng stated.

The elf frowned, "If you get shot down, you have to crash your sky junk into the K'daii destroyer. It's a giant metal and fire construct that looks like a bull. The magistrate just told me that you all have parachutes in case you're shot down. If you happen to land in the central plaza, form up with Lieutenant Yeung Lan's Ironhail gunners."

"What if we fail?" Ren Chan asked calmly.

"Then I'll have to defeat this K'daii destroyer with the terracotta sentinels. We won't lost the battle if you fail, but it will be a major setback. Be patient and don't take any unnecessary risks with the bomb. Princess Shen Zoo herself will be covering you in the skies," Malekith answered.

She looked at him uncertainly for a moment before speaking, "Sir...why did you pick me? I mean I wanted to do this mission, but I'm curious why you chose my crew without even speaking to anyone."

"I know the look of someone with no family...someone with nothing to lose and everything to prove. That's why you volunteered isn't it?" Malekith asked knowingly.

Ren Chan looked at him stunned. After a brief silence she responded, "So...you were counting on me since I'm the most willing to sacrifice myself?"

"Yes..." he answered simply.

Ren Chan nodded, "We won't fail you sir...one way or another the 'Sun Rain' will deliver that bomb to the k'daii destroyer."

Malekith nodded and left without saying a word. As he departed, Xu Feng frowned, "Don't let grim outlook deter you, Ren Chan...Malekith is the kind of person who would save you if you get shot down."

The pilot stared at her healed hand in silence as she listened to her friend. After a moment she made a fist and looked at Xu Feng, "I won't fail turtle gate!"

Later than evening

Most of the rest of the day had been spent ensuring everyone was well stocked and prepared for their various duties. The only other notable occurrence that happened was Malekith's manticore coming back and being given a stable to stay in.

The creature's black and brass armour had been painted various shades of gold and green, and Malekith also attached a turtle gate banner to its saddle which marked it as a friendly to everyone in the garrison. Many people were scared of it for obvious reasons, but the creature had been surprisingly mellow for most of the day and Malekith had spent the last few hours training it to not attack the Cathayans. It was currently resting on a rooftop not far from the central plaza. The beast would be invaluable if Malekith needed to deal with aerial threats and he was counting on it to help him kill Ashenwing since fighting a flying daemon wouldn't be easy for him to fight.

After finalizing all of the little things he could to ensure the battle wouldn't be a disaster, Malekith found himself standing in front assembly of all the warriors in Turtle Gate. It was well into the evening now, and everyone was expecting the enemy army to show up over the horizon soon.

The most recent scouts sent out did not return which boded very poorly for their remaining time. Sung Lian and her longma riders were also there as well as Captain Zhu and Shen Zoo herself. All three of them had given inspiring speeches to motivate the troops and dish out last-minute orders and responsibilities. Even the pilots in the sky lanterns and sky-junks overhead were listening in as well as various civilian workers from nearby buildings.

"For the Emperor! For Cathay!" Shen Zoo finished her speech causing the whole garrison to chant and cheer.

Malekith had barely listened to any of it as it had been nauseatingly optimistic and coddling. It didn't matter though…these weren't his people, and he was grateful he didn't have to say anything to them.

"Would you like to say anything to the garrison's troops before we get in position, King Malekith?" Sung Lian asked loudly.

All of the humans that heard this turned their gaze towards the silent and stoic elf who was staring blankly into the horizon with no discernable emotions on his face.

"I have nothing to say," Malekith announced loudly enough for most of them to hear.

"Seriously? Please say something, Malekith…you are the commander now," Shen Zoo insisted.

The elf cringed a bit as he thought about how ridiculous he would look giving a motivational speech to humans. Nevertheless, he humored Shen Zoo's request as he stepped forward and looked over the assembled crowd.

As he examined the men and women, Malekith spoke with authoritative presence, "As your temporary appointed battle commander, it is my job to keep you all alive. I will not succeed…not with many of you. Sometimes, battle is random and our fated end has come despite all our preparations. Perhaps you'll die tonight…perhaps I will too. Focus on what you can control and do not forget your training. Do not forget what you're fighting for…survival. For the sake of your own kingdom and countless civilians beyond this wall who are defenseless against the horrors of the north. If you must die…then die for them and your emperor. Die for honor…die for the glory of your ancestors. Just don't die for nothing."

By this time, Malekith could see familiar faces in the crowd such as the Iron Hail gunner company and many of the peasants he trained. The elf felt strange giving a speech to humans, but they were all staring with various expressions.

The onlookers were deathly silent as they watched the pacing elf with anxiousness. Their full attention was on him, and nobody broke their poise as Malekith looked at a young man in the front row.

"You…how old are you, boy?" Malekith asked a young peasant spearman.

"Nineteen, sir," the man answered immediately while maintaining his bearing.

"By elven standards, I was about your age or younger when I fought my first battle against daemons. My father the Phoenix King made me fight daemons with him. I was a prince, and I was still expected to fight…still expected to die if necessary. That fact has never changed in my long life. I stand here now, an elven king, fighting with you against a chaos horde. Whether a peasant or a king, your position in life means nothing in the face of annihilation. Your deeds in battle define your true worth as men and as warriors…not your social standing. Battle is a great crucible where one can truly become more than they ever thought they could be. It is the ultimate reveal of one's true resolve and their inner heart. You will find out who you really are tonight…a warrior or a coward. Remember this…One night of pain is worth a lifetime of glory…and the death of any warrior is worth the survival of his people. The choice is yours to make. Ultimately, we're all doomed to die one day. We cannot choose why or how…but we can decide how we meet our end. I don't expect you to die for me…but I won't retreat. Victory or death…that's what I choose. It's what my father Aenarion chose, and he was the greatest elf who ever lived. Make your choice and make your peace. I've already made mine," Malekith announced to the massive crowd.

All of them released a unanimous shout of approval as they all clanged their weapons or boots against the ground. It surprised him how receptive many seemed to his speech. He couldn't quite describe the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as the humans looked at him with approval. He knew that not a single one of them would mourn his death and yet they seemed motivated by his words.

Shen Zoo placed a hand on his spiked shoulder and nodded approvingly, "Well said, Malekith."

'I'm terrible at giving motivational speeches. I'm too used to giving speeches to druchii about slaughtering the enemy for the glory of Khaine,' Malekith thought awkwardly.

"Everyone, get to your posts!" Sung Lian commanded for the crowd to disperse.

From where he stood, Malekith looked back and saw flaming braziers on top of the high wall being lit all across the wall in either direction. He remembered Sung Lian mentioning that for large attacks they would light these beacon fires to warn the entire bastion of a serious siege. They apparently stretched from Nan Gau to Wei-Jin.

"The beacons are being lit…they must be able to see the enemy horde," Sung Lian noted grimly.

Not even a second later, loud gongs and horns sounded all across the garrison of Turtle Gate as various lookouts began to shout.

"They're here. I was hoping the men would at least have time to rest for a few hours." Shen Zoo sighed.

"It's quite remarkable how fast they got here on foot…though I should have expected it when the scouts didn't come back." Sung Lian sighed.

Part of Malekith briefly wondered why they didn't light these beacons much sooner as he found himself skeptical about any help arriving in time to reinforce the garrison. Perhaps they were only allowed to light the beacons during an actual attack?

As all the humans split up and went to their assigned areas, Malekith saw Jin Tao walk up to him. The fire monk gave him a smile of approval and an informal bow, "Great speech. You think exactly like the fire dragon does. It's an honor to fight with you tonight, sir. We'll kick these chaos monsters back into the hells that spawned them!"

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic," Malekith replied dryly.

"Victory or death. That's what I choose too." the monk said approvingly.

"Let's get on the wall!" Malekith spoke to Jin Tao as he began to follow frantic troops to the outer wall.

As they left, Shen Zoo called out to him, "I'll be keeping an eye on you during the battle too, Malekith. You won't be alone up there. I'm not letting you die."

"Do your job and don't worry about me. Protect the skyfleet," Malekith replied callously as he turned to head up to the wall with the peasants.

"He'll be fine, princess. He has me with him!" Jin Tao announced eagerly.

"Help will come…we just need to hold out. Promise me you won't do anything reckless," Shen Zoo said with visible concern.

"I promise nothing. I'll do whatever I have to do," Malekith said without looking back as he put on his helmet.

After scaling to the top of the wall, Malekith could hear the peasants and various other defenders gasping and shouting with horror at what they were seeing on the horizon.

The ground shook as they watched the enemy horde approaching in the distance. Moments later, Sung Lian landed next to Malekith on her longma and had to double take after seeing the invaders, "By the emperor…"

"Hmm…there seems to be even more than I thought there was," Malekith noted nonchalantly as if he was not intimidated by the colossal horde of northmen.

Everyone could only watch with dreadful anticipation as the enemy army got closer and closer. They eventually stopped a decent distance away from the outer wall as they set up and prepared for the siege. Rocket towers and their crews quickly began to prime their artillery as various other missile troops anxiously got ready.

Then something bizarre happened. The front of the horde began to start stomping and clanging their spears against the ground in near perfect unison over and over. They shouted some kind of chant while doing this.

He couldn't be sure if it was related, but rain began to pour from the dark storm clouds overhead moments later. At first it was a light drizzle, but it soon began to pour heavily. Malekith's question was quickly answered when he saw Ashenwing flying above the horde channeling ungodly amounts of the winds of magic. He had no idea what the daemon was doing, but it certainly wasn't promising.

'The winds are tempestuous…that will be useful for them and for us,' Malekith thought briefly.

Walking past the front of the formation on the back of a two-headed chaos dragon, Malekith saw Lothar. The chaos lord seemed to be scanning the outer wall for any sign of him.

"MALEKITH! Where are you hiding?! SHOW YOURSELF! If you think these pathetic southerners can save you from my wrath, you are gravely mistaken!" Lothar's voice magically resonated throughout the battlefield. He spoke in Cathan which clearly meant that he wanted the Cathayans to know what he was saying.

The nearby Cathayans all looked over at Malekith fearfully as the elf stared out into the enemy horde with callous stoicism. Jin Tao quickly addressed him, "Is that their leader, sir?"

Malekith did not answer the man verbally, but he shot a massive arc of lightning from atop the wall into the rain overhead. A split second later, it was followed by deafening thunder as his armour began to light up with its magical runes.

Many within the chaos horde quickly spotted him front and center on the outer wall as he locked glares with Lothar from a vast distance.

Upon seeing him, the Chaos lord growled as his nearby sorcerers magically amplified his voice again, "What is it you hoped to gain by warring against the north and allying yourself with these pathetic men of Cathay? Even now you cower in fear behind lowly mortals and this pitiful wall! I should expect no less from any knife-eared elf! Your treachery will be met with bloody vengeance, and I shall personally end your reign!"

The chaos horde began to bash their shields and spears again as a deafening chorus of bloodthirsty chants echoed for miles around.

The thunderous clangs of spears and shields ceased briefly as Ashenwing landed next to Lothar and spoke up as well, "Your foolish decision to aid Shen Zoo will lead to your long overdue demise. The winds of change have come, and they will not be merciful to you. Everything that has a beginning has an end…and this will be yours, Malekith. The storm dragon will not arrive in time to save you. The Cadai and Cytharai have abandoned you to your doom! The EYE is watching right now! These people are all going to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it! Your fate is written…and you will die broken and pointlessly just like your insane father! Do you think these humans will protect you from us? Do you think Kairos Fateweaver didn't plan for you to be here and now to die at our hand?!"

The chaos horde seemed to enjoy the spectacle of their leaders calling out Malekith. The mention of "The Eye" was concerning though as it implied that the chaos gods were watching this right now. No doubt every aspiring chaos worshipper here saw the opportunity to gain ascension and glory from this epic battle they were about to partake in. Deafening clangs and chants drowned out all sound again as the horde almost unanimously shouted in Cathay's language, "DARK GODS WITNESS US!"

Lothar motivated them even further as he shouted out, "There will be no dawn for any of you! SPILL BLOOD FOR KHORNE! BRING REVOLUTION FOR TZEENTCH! SPREAD DESTRUCTION FOR NURGLE! DELIVER SENSATION AND GLORY TO SLAANESH! UNLEASH DARKNESS AND FIRE FOR HASHUT! FOR THE RUINOUS POWERS! FOR CHAOS!"

"FOR CHAOS!" the horde chanted in unison as they ceaselessly roared and chanted while clanging their weapons yet again.

The sound of their boots and weapons thudding against the ground was equivalent to an earthquake as it caused the ground to shake.

Malekith sighed as he looked over at the petrified Cathayans. The fact that the chaos leaders and even the horde itself spoke in the language of Cathay, meant they were trying to demoralize the defenders. It had clearly been working as he could see some peasants shaking more than the ground was.

One man even backed up a bit, but Jin Tao quickly put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him forward again. Sung Lian saw terror sweeping through the ranks and called out from atop her longma, "Stand fast, warriors of Cathay! The dragons will protect us! Do not fail the Emperor! Do not fail the princess!"

"I've never seen a chaos horde this big before…are attacks like this common?" Jin Tao shook his head in pure disbelief as he glanced at Sung Lian.

"No, this is the largest army I've ever seen. The storm dragon repelled one of a similar size several centuries ago that was led by the two-headed daemon. They didn't have artillery though. Do you still think northerners are weak, Jin Tao?" the shugengan asked the southern monk.

"The storm dragon is truly formidable if she had to repel attacks like this." the monk stated respectfully.

To Malekith's astonishment, the fire mage seemed oddly calm and confident. He would certainly be an asset in the battle.

"ON THIS NIGHT, THE LAND WILL BE STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF CATHAY! Have you any last words to say, Malekith?!" Lothar shouted.

"They're attacking us but calling you out? They really don't like you. If I had any doubts left that you were truly on our side, they're long gone now." Sung Lian spoke grimly to Malekith.

"Nobody likes me," Malekith shrugged.

"I do!" Jin Tao announced.

"So do I," Sung Lian added.

Malekith looked at them briefly and said nothing. He then turned his gaze over the peasant militia and longma riders flanking him on the wall. They were all staring at him anxiously as if desperate for some sliver of hope or motivation. He wasn't entirely certain why, but these humans were looking to him for leadership right now above anyone else. Even Sung Lian herself was staring at Malekith waiting for him to say something.

"The rocket batteries are primed and everyone's in position…are you ready?" Sung Lian asked the elf anxiously.

"Let me speak to them first. I want to make sure they target me over the rest of you. At my signal…unleash hell," he spoke with calm assurance as if the deafening chaos horde was no threat.

Sung Lian nodded her head as her longma riders moved to take flight. Seeing the longma riders take to the air caused the horde to chant louder and move forward a bit as if they were frothing at the mouth to charge. Before Sung Lian could ascend, she looked over at Malekith, "What's the signal?"

"The moment I attack," Malekith said emotionlessly as she flew up.

"Nothing to say, elf?! Or are you too stricken with fear?! You will rue the day you ever made an enemy of Lothar…CHAMPION OF CHAOS! Perhaps we'll enslave you instead?! Slaanesh would greatly reward me for delivering him your soul! You and all your kind are little more than ripe strumpets awaiting domination! You are nothing but a thrall and you will beg me for mercy before the end!" Lothar taunted.

Malekith answered the taunt as he shot a stream of lightning into the skies overhead. Many peasants jumped back or moved away from Malekith as his armour was glowing brightly with magic again. The elf quickly shaped the winds into a black tempest overhead. Before long it erupted from the storm clouds and the rainy night became even darker as lightning and thunder followed. Malekith then magically amplified his voice as loud as he could.

"Servants of the disparate gods of chaos…hear my words! I am Malekith! Son of Aenarion…Witch King of Naggaroth! I'm nobody's thrall…you are mine! Death is in my blood! I hope for nothing…I fear nothing! I don't need to know you! YOU ONLY NEED TO KNOW ME! I stand defiant against your pathetic horde, and I challenge you all with the gods as are witnesses! There is no glory for you here! You are nothing and will continue that existence after I slaughter you in the names of Asuryan and Khaine! Give me your worst pawns of chaos, for you shall certainly get mine! I will burn away this weak army just as I burned Slaanesh himself! You will learn this night why all elves fear the Witch King, and all of you will die even if I have to take you down with me! The only blood god you'll know after tonight is KHAINE for I am KHAINE INCARNATE!" Malekith voice echoed menacingly through the skies followed by a chorus of thunder.

All of the peasants were tensed up from seeing Malekith silence the entire chaos army with his hateful ranting. The chaos horde stopped clanging their spears and shields or even chanting after hearing Malekith's challenge. He had just placed the world's biggest target on his head and there was no doubt in his mind that every aspiring champion of chaos in this horde would prioritize killing him now after such a brazen declaration. That and most were well aware that the chaos gods were watching. There would be eternal glory for any one of them who could kill Malekith.

The Cathayans seemed even more shocked by Malekith's words. No doubt his brazen fearlessness and delusional self-confidence were part of it. Many were also probably confused about Malekith claiming to burn a chaos god. The fact that he had just signed a death sentence on himself with his taunting challenge was both inspiring and horrifying to them. If any of the humans had doubts that Malekith wasn't trying to protect them before, they were starting to dissipate now.

Looking briefly at the Puzzle Box of Xholankha tied to his waist the elf mentally prepared himself for the last resort he had planned. He then turned his gaze to the skies.

"Grant me magic, Hekarti…Hoeth…Lileath," Malekith spoke in Druhir before starting a long incantation.

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Okay…I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but this chapter was getting way too long, and the battle is going to be long too. Better to stop now so you won't get interrupted from the action next chapter. I've already written half the battle, so the wait for an update shouldn't be as long as the one for this chapter was. Anyways, this chapter was mostly uneventful, but lots of important stuff happened to set up for the action next chapter. It's going to be absolutely crazy. Let's just say that he WILL be using the Puzzle Box of Xholankha.

So, we start off with Malekith and Shen Zoo having a deep conversation about redemption and what not. Obviously, Malekith is cynical and doesn't hold any illusions that he could ever be a hero. Shen Zoo on the other hand tells him a lot of stuff he needs to hear and actually inspires him to be the person he wants to be despite what anyone else thinks. This conversation really does wonders to change his perspective on the humans at the garrison as Malekith even uses Shen Zoo's logic to motivate a suicidal Lieutenant Kongyu to find his redemption in battle.

As you likely noticed, Malekith is slowly gaining the trust and approval of various characters here and his earlier humility pays off when he settles the tension with Sung Lian and Captain Zhu. He isn't entirely convinced that they trust or like him though. Malekith is under the impression that they're only being cordial to him because they're afraid of Shen Zoo punishing them.

Sung Lian does mention some interesting facts to Malekith. One being that Beichai was nearly burned to the ground by black ark attacks twenty years ago and that the Moon Empress is very wary of Malekith and Morathi killing her overzealous daughter Yin-Yin. It's quite clear to Malekith that the Moon Empress, Quai Yin knows A LOT about Naggaroth…to the point where she refused to let Cathay go to war with them. While there's barely any canonical information about her, Quai Yin is the embodiment of Yin itself including all the good and bad. She's mysterious, feminine, cunning, introverted, secretive, passive, pessimistic, negative, etc. She is far more politically savvy than anyone else in Cathay and has a huge spy network in the empire to control things from behind the scenes. It's not a stretch to imagine that she also has great insight into most of the world and figures of importance. Xen Yang on the other hand is the official leader, but he doesn't do thing things that Quai Yin disapproves of since the moon empress is technically his equal and opposite balance. She knows a lot more than she tells her children about the wider world and knows that people like Malekith and Morathi are capable of killing her children. She'll certainly be shocked when Malekith shows up in Wei-Jin with Shen Zoo. (Not even spoilers…you know Malekith is winning this battle after that massive flex he gave at the end).

Moving on, we also get another dream sequence since those are always fun to write. Now, for those who have read the books and know the lore quite well, you probably noticed that the Morathi and Hellebron interaction was slightly different than the canonical one…though I used a lot of the same words. Malekith obviously wasn't there to see it canonically, but I thought it would be cool if he had been as it will make his future encounter with Hellebron interesting. You get to see Morathi being wicked and Allisara's first real warning sign to get away from them when she overhears Morathi talking about raising Malekith's potential future children. There's a lot I could say about this various stuff, but most of it speaks for itself. Canonically though, Malekith did think that prime Hellebron was prettier than Morathi. You get some more insight into how their toxic relationship worked and this was also roughly the time Morathi decided to go start pleasure cults all over the colonies. Naturally, Slaanesh shows up in Malekith's dream again and remarks that he knows who Malekith's heir is and that causes Malekith concern as he realizes his own mother can figure it out too if Slaanesh knows. Future setup for future drama.

After that, we get an interesting scene with Malekith training Iron Hail Gunners and ordering one to shoot him. Now it's fairly obvious what movie inspired that scene (The Last Samurai), but I liked writing that scene and the one with the pilots right afterward as it kind of showcases that Malekith is not a nice person, but he ultimately does care about his troops not being unprepared and is willing to do crazy things to motivate them.

His speech at the end and the way he challenged the enemy army was really epic in my head. I hope it came across that way in text and wasn't too cringey or anything. I could drone on about a lot of other things, but that's the gist of the important stuff this chapter. The battle is going to be wild as hell. Once again, I'm sorry for bombarding you with this giant filler chapter, but I wanted to flesh out various people and develop some stuff so that you actually care about what happens to them in the battle. The next chapter will have the entire battle and its crazy conclusion, so stay tuned and thanks for reading.